Chương 301: Silent Sage (IV)

She made a smoothie. Okay, not literally. She didn't shove a bunch of chopped-up fruits into a blender, press a button, and watch the magic happen. She squeezed juices out of some, she smushed others with her hands and fists, and some she just tossed in there and they melted, but the end product both looked and smelled an awful lot like a smoothie. There were some visible chunks still, here and there, but it was more liquid than it was firm.

"My grandson called it fruit assault," she smiled faintly.

"Said it helped calm him down. Have a taste." I obeyed, picking up the bowl and taking a sip--and, well, I kinda agree with her grandson, to be honest. The taste was... overwhelming, to say the least. It wasn't sugary, however, but more so that so many flavorful fruits seem to be fighting to be the one to be tasted that it just sears the taste buds a bit.

"It's good." I didn't lie; though it was a bit overwhelming, it was also super tasty. I don't know if it made me any less anxious, but, to be fair, sometimes even modern medication failed to do that, so... you know... it did its best, I suppose.

"Really good."

"Glad you like it," she said as she sat down on the table, too, just to my left.

"The Art has helped me, tremendously. So much, in fact, that I'm ravaged with guilt that I got it for free."

"No, no, it was a gift! A thank you for letting us stay here and cooking us--""--yap, yap, yap. The old alchemist already paid for all that. Hmm. I think I may have a way to repay you."

"..." I stayed silent. I really, really, really didn't want anything from her, because I have this dreadful feeling it will trigger some flag that will lead to something larger-than-life happening in the future, but it's not like I can say no, either.

"Well, partly, at least. Lu Yuhan, the bastard leader of this city," she said, her voice rather rife with loathing.

"He no doubt has taken notice of your kids. And, if I know him in the slightest, he'll want them."

"... want them?"

"Of course. He'll goad them with all the riches under the sky until they say yes and renounce themselves as your Disciples." Yeah. Honestly, of so many things in this world that I worry about, somebody 'thieving' away the kids by offering them stuff? Not even remotely near the top hundred.

"You don't seem worried." A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"I'm not."

"Do you trust them that much?"

"Hmm," I mulled for a moment before replying.

"I do, but it's not even that."

"What is it, then?"

"..." What I really wanted to say was, 'There's perhaps 3 people alive that can offer them things I can', but there's no way in hell I could utter something so narcissistic, even if true.

"What worries me if he approaches them that way isn't them accepting it, but getting riled up on my behalf and saying things that are... not appropriate."

"Ho ho. Quite boastful," she smirked for a moment.

"Even so, he's not the man to give up just because somebody rejected him."

"I figured."

"If he ever does," she said.

"I'll intervene on your behalf. Hopefully, he still holds a shred of respect for me and will give me face."

"... I appreciate it, but there's no need," I said.

"Oh? Are you even aware just how strong he is?"

"To a frightening degree, yes," I smiled bitterly. Of course I knew. I bore witness to a 'mere' Demigod blowing up an entire set of mountains and flattening them into a plateau, and the old monster was two--no, even three —major realms stronger than that. We couldn't defeat him, not even in the slightest. There were only two trump cards that might work: the little tortoise and the 'Eternal Sacrifice' martial art.

I'm not even sure to what degree they'd work, if at all, but I'm also not willing to put my trust in them. What, then? Long Tao. He should know, too, just how strong the man was--yet, he remained his indifferent (if slightly petty, grudge-bearing, and angry) self. I don't think he has the means of killing the man, but I do think he has the means of keeping us safe.

"... hmm. Even if you do have the means of handling him, don't. He's the man of many connections, but more than that, he's a central figure bound to so many Ancient Clans I'd run out of breath naming them all. Should he die under remotely suspicious circumstances, there's a chance the entire Eternal Continent might descend into a war."

"Oh?" That's a bit surprising, but not impossible. I mean, we have had quite a few similar things happen back on Earth, where the death of one person did technically kickstart a war. Obviously, though, the war would have happened regardless, and that was merely the last straw, which I imagine is the scenario here, too.

"Don't worry about it; simply, if at all possible, stay away from him. And if he tries to do something, I'll help you." She stood up, refusing to even hear my rejection, and left. I find it a bit annoying, honestly, that we're already getting tangled up with stuff like this. No... we've gotten tangled up with it from the day Long Tao challenged the Sages back in the Silvercrest City. Perhaps even earlier than that, when we first came across the parasitic vine....

or perhaps even earlier than that, when our sect got invaded and flattened. Though it's not so obvious on the surface, I suppose, it all dictates a certain connection--from the Fire Sun Sect's initial instigations all the way to now, where we're wrestling with an old, greedy monster that's hiding his true identity so deeply I'm pretty sure only Long Tao and I are aware of it. But, strangely enough, I'm not afraid.

I think it's because I've started to understand Long Tao's insistence on constant challenging of things--my cultivation has... stagnated. Not to the point of it being impossible, but compared to when I'm fighting for my life and struggling to survive, it truly feels much worse. And if I feel that way, then I can only imagine what it's like for monsters whose talents dwarf mine.

And so, even if he's just a bit above what I'm comfortable 'dealing with', perhaps that's precisely where he needs to be--the kids are an untamed fire roaring across the world, and in order to burn even brighter, forests need to become larger and larger.

"HOW DARE YOU REJECT MY PROPOSAL!!!" a voice roared so loudly it shook the house.

"I WILL KILL BOTH YOU AND YOUR MASTER RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"... hmm? Wait. No, no, there are a lot of masters to go around. For every disciple, in fact, there's a master.... yeah. Haah. At least it wasn't the voice of that old monster. At least.