Chương 424: Whispers Abound (VIII)

They were back before they were truly even gone.... and they seemed fine. I eyed them, though the only one with any obvious reaction was Zhou Yun--and that reaction was trembling terror. Not towards being kidnapped, I don't think, but towards Long Tao, whom she eyed stealthily once or twice before rapidly looking away, terrified to be noticed. Hey. What the hell did that guy do?! And just how much trouble had he stirred?

As though they understood my intentions, all other kids dispersed under the guise of 'cleaning up', which left just the two of us. By now, he was tall enough to pass for someone in his twenties, easily breaking six feet. Beyond that, whatever little childishness about his appearance there once was... it wasn't there any longer. Was this really the body of a fifteen-year-old? Obviously not. Whatever he did to it accelerated the growth by at least a decade.

"What happened?" I asked.

"A misunderstanding, that's all."

"Somebody misunderstood that they could take you away without consequences?"

"... something like that," he grinned.

"We're back to the old ways, Tao'er," I said.

"Old ways?"

"Where you get to do whatever the hell you want and the rest of us suffer the consequences."

"... I didn't ask them to kidnap us, you know."

"Really?" I reiterated.

"So, when you rebuffed him that day, you didn't know he'd come back?"

"..." he stared at me for a moment in silence before replying.

"What should I have done, then?"

"Been civil."

"It wouldn't have mattered," he said.

"He saw something he wanted and perceived he was strong enough to take it. People like that don't understand civility, Master. They understand capitulation, and they understand pain. Nothing else."

"Why not tell me, then?" I asked.

"Because you would have insisted we avoid conflict."

"Aah, I wonder why," I said.

"Maybe, just maybe, because we're headed into the enclosed space with all of the Holy Lands, and marking ourselves even more as targets might not be the best idea in the world."

"They won't know it was us."

"And what if they do?"

"... then we figure it out." He really was extremely relaxed about it, as though it had nothing to do with him. Perhaps that's an outlook someone who's lived for uncountable years has to have, especially around these here parts, but it's... uncomfortable.

"Right. But suppose, just for a moment," I said.

"That something happens that stumps even your extensive family history. That no matter how deep you reach into your ancestors' wisdom, nothing in that bag of tricks works. Suppose we find ourselves in that kind of a situation. What then?" If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"... then we have you," he smiled.

"And your breadth of ancestry, with all its bags of tricks."

"And what if even I fail?"

"... if there truly is something out there that defeats both our ancestral lines," he said, a faint smile hanging on his lips.

"It would mean that the world is ending, Master, and all life in it is perishing."

"..." I stayed silent, and he simply left. There was no point in arguing with him, it seems. He'll continue being who he is, and it seems nothing short of death will change him. No, wait, death already didn't change him. Wow. Sighing, I looked up at the sky and paused my thoughts for a moment. A clash with the Holy Lands was inevitable, regardless. They'd be our direct competition in the realm, not to mention the whole 'planning to offer everyone who enters the Secret Realm as a sacrifice' business.

From Long Tao's words, it doesn't sound like they'll know it was us immediately. But... my gut is restless. Something about this situation--and I have no idea consciously what--isn't like any of the ones before. And yet, there wasn't much I could do but put faith in him, myself, and the system to handle whatever comes our way. I didn't go back to the inn for a while, staying inside one of the gazebos and looking at the pond of water thoughtlessly. At some point, the old alchemist joined me, his appearance......

well, let's not comment on that. I'll be nice.

"You've made them?" I asked.

"I've made them."

"I'm surprised you're not shouting at the sky that you did it."

"Me too, to be honest," he said.

"I didn't know I had this much restraint in me."

"I'm proud of you." He glanced at me and rolled his eyes as he took out a small transparent pill cup. Inside of it, I counted twelve rather brilliantly glistening pills. Though they were all faintly cyan in color, their particular shade varied, likely speaking to their quality.

"I probably won't be able to concoct anything else for at least four or five months," he said as I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Not by choice," he grunted back.

"I had to use some Innate Qi to properly stabilize them, even with the herbs. That's how long it will take me to recover it. If I don't, I risk damaging my Soul permanently. Is that what you want? For me to damage my soul permanently?"

"Would damaging it alter your personality in any way?"

"Possibly, yes. Why--oh, just..." he sighed as I chuckled, taking the cup and examining it. I didn't truly understand the gravity of these little things, but seeing the fully spent Lao Shun hunched over like an old man who'd been tending the farm field for eighteen hours straight, I could venture a guess. [--Congratulations, Host] [One of your Disciples, Lao Shun, has achieved a remarkable feat!] [...] Oh, there it is. Right on time to tell me just how remarkable it is.

[As a mere Soul-Grand Rank Alchemist, he'd managed to concoct a set of useable Flawless Foundation Pills, something that even talented Tri-Aspects Rank Alchemists struggle to do. Due to the unprecedented feat, his Soul Force had evolved, and he can now just barely be qualified as a Tri-Aspects Rank Alchemist] [...] [Double feat achieved] [Your Disciple, Lao Shun, has become the youngest Alchemist of this world to achieve the Tri Aspects Rank and managed to become the 78th youngest in the history of the universe to do so. Special rewards triggered] [...] [Rewards] [Reward 1: Soul Pill (Ancient) x1] [Reward 2: Library of Ancient Recipes (???)] [Reward 3: 1x Free Ticket to create a custom Alchemy Recipe] [Reward 4: Soul Gem (Legendary) x1] [Reward 5: Tri-Colored Lotus (???) x10] [...] [Soul Pill (Ancient) -- emboldens the soul of the one who consumes it, upgrading its rank by a whole tier. Most Alchemist, even those of Divine-Lord Rank, would eradicate a world for it. Note: exposing the existence of the Soul Pill will guarantee that the Host will be hunted down by every Alchemy Union across the Heavens. In order to consume it, Host--or whoever Host gives it to--must do so in shielded pocket space so that its aura does not leak out. The system will remind the host if you ever enter one such area] [Library of Ancient Recipes (???) -- a library of 1, 388 alchemy recipes. Though most are severely outdated and several dozen generations behind the best methods, there might be some knowledge lost and even recipes that otherwise do not exist in the current era contained therein. Note: The codex is written in the Ancient Tongue and must be translated by hand if Host desires so] [Free Alchemy Recipe Ticket x1 -- create a custom Alchemy Recipe through Creator's Window without spending any points. Will expire in 360 days] [Soul Gem (Legendary) -- a finely crafted vessel that can store a lost, stray soul for almost 1, 000, 000 years without natural Soul-Degradation ever coming into play. Cannot contain Demonic Souls or '???' Souls] [Tri-Colored Lotus (???) -- considered extinct in the current era, it was once seen as a perfect gift for an Alchemist breaking through into the Tri Aspects Rank. Per its nature, it cannot actually be used as an ingredient within a recipe due to the three conflicting elements stored therein that immediately annihilate each other upon contact with anything else, but perhaps the recipe to utilize such a thing simply hasn't been created yet...]... subtle, system. Real freakin' subtle.