Finally, Daoist Fireblade couldn't tolerate those three's laugh any longer. Mustered up his courage, he yelled angrily. "Y-y-you two! Leave this room immediately! Shen Long! You stay behind! You two good-for-nothing old man, f*** off! Who told you to come in here!?"
However, the two Guardians continued to laugh and completely ignored Daoist Fireblade's rant. It was obvious that their relationships were quite close as the duo dared to ignore Fireblade's instructions. Shen Long, on the other hand, was completely terrified since he had to stay alone. Shen Long tried to quickly change his attitude as he suddenly acted more respectful.
"You two Guardians, did you not hear what Master said? Leave! What's so funny about this? It's a trial for me, and you two completely ruined it. Master is already being benevolent, for not punishing you two. Leave immediately! Shen Long said, acting confident and mighty.
"Shut up brat. How dare you speak to us two, your Seniors, like this? You want us to help you "train"? We can give you some real-life chances to practise your sword art if you want! We won't hold back at all to "temper" you! Let's go brat!" The Guardian from the Library replied as he threatened Shen Long. However, his high-pitched voice made his words sound extremely weak and unconvincing.
Shen Long shut up immediately after hearing his seemingly "unthreatening" words. Shen Long had a first-hand experience of the Guardian's strength, and he knew how bloody strong he was, as a Celestial Immortal. Even though Shen Long's strength had improved by leaps and bounds, he was still no match for the Guardian, nor any Celestial Immortals. He stood to the side, not showing any emotions - he couldn't laugh nor act too confident, so his face was expressionless like an annoyed waiter in a restaurant.
After spending great effort, Daoist Fireblade managed to kick the two Guardians out. Since he was severely injured, he couldn't use his overwhelming power to force them to comply, so he could only use words and treasures to threaten them. Shen Long just stood and watch as he sweated furiously, worrying about his punishment as he also laughed at him...
After getting those two out of the room, Daoist Fireblade turned his attention to Shen Long. Clearing his throat, he suddenly became much more serious. There was no sign of anger on his face, but sheer sadness. Daoist Fireblade, of course, was trying to appeal to Shen Long's emotions and to lie to him.
After failing his Plan A, he decided to go for Plan B. Since Shen Long's emotions could be manipulated easily, Daoist Fireblade was confident that he could succeed this time. Acting extremely miserable, Daoist Fireblade spoke slowly in a nostalgic tone.
"Shen Long... You know why I was setting up that trial just now? I think I won't have long to live. My desire to return to Earth is too strong right now, and it's slowly driving me insane. You know? Whenever I see you hanging out with your friends, it reminds me of the time when I was young like you... Earth... When will I ever be able to return?" Daoist Fireblade dramatically paused as he continued slowly afterwards.
"Shen Long, do you wish to return home? If you do... I will send y-you h-home right now. Just give me the word, and I will definitely help you out. It doesn't matter if I can't, but you are my number one priority. I'm the one who dragged you here, so I'm responsible for you. If you want... you can return with me after reaching Celestial Immortal. But I won't be this selfish, go home first if you want to..."
Although Daoist Fireblade's face was filled with sorrow and lament, deep down, he was brimming with joy as he saw Shen Long starting to tear up. Daoist Fireblade really was merciless, and his acting skills were top-notch. He was definitely better than the award-winning actors as he seemed extremely sincere.
After hearing Daoist Fireblade's words, Shen Long couldn't help but feel extremely sorry for his Master. As a naturally emotional person, Shen Long couldn't resist tearing up and empathising with Daoist Fireblade.
"I will definitely wait until we can return to Earth together! You're the one who brought me here, and you're the one who introduced me to the Cultivator World. I have always longed to become a cultivator, to live an exciting life. Without you, none of this would be possible. I will cultivate hard, and we will return together!" Shen Long quickly said honestly.
After hearing Shen Long's promise, Daoist Fireblade secretly felt relieved and delighted. His biggest worry, about Shen Long discovering the truth, was now solved. His effort had not been in vain, and his mood was lightened up immediately.
"I shall try my best to pacify my inner demon then. If you, my dear disciple, can resist the desire to return, I, as your Master, must be able to do so as well! You're right. Let's return to Earth together! Of course, if you are unwilling, I can always send you home first." Daoist Fireblade exclaimed in an enthusiastic manner at first, then deliberately slowed down for the last sentence.
The emotional Shen Long, of course, agreed with Daoist Fireblade without hesitation. Seeing Shen Long nodding in approval almost exposed him, as he almost showed his smile. Adjusting his emotions, he invited Shen Long to stay for a perpetual meal.
As Shen Long's socializing skills had improved, he could feel that something wasn't right. Logically, it didn't make any sense for Daoist Fireblade to invite him to a feast, bearing in mind that he was sobbing a while ago. But since he was Shen Long's master, he didn't question him and agreed straight away.
The two chatted and feasted, completely immersed in their conversation and food. Even though Daoist Fireblade had some difficulty eating, he ignored his injury and pain, continuing to eat and drink. Daoist Fireblade actually treated Shen Long as his family member, and he was extremely sincere to Shen Long. Besides that one time about returning to Earth, Shen Long's master had always prioritized Shen Long before everything else. Daoist Fireblade was still a decently good Master.
Time continues to pass as Daoist Fireblade started to get drunk. Shen Long took the initiative to leave, to prevent his Master from getting any drunker. Without a doubt, Shen Long's observant skills had definitely improved, and he had matured so much, compared to the times when he first came.
Shen Long himself could feel the difference in his behaviour recently. However, he wasn't sure of the reason behind his change in personality. Was it because of his cultivation realm as a demigod? Or was it because of Chen Mei? Shen Long wasn't sure, but he was regardless quite happy about this change. It would definitely prove useful to him, for his future as a cultivator.
"Hahahahaha! This change in personality, equipped with my handsome face and my tremendous talent for cultivation, is definitely going to make girls head over heels for me. But it's okay, Mei-er. You will still be my wife! Hahahahaha!" Shen long thought to himself as he walked back.
It seemed like Shen Long's personality hadn't really changed. He was still overconfident, and he still enjoyed lying to himself. A handsome appearance? Quit lying to yourself…. However, he genuinely felt that way. Even though it clearly wasn't the reality, he still felt that his appearance was top-notch, and he was the most handsome in both the cultivator world and Earth.
Maybe it wasn't a problem with his personality, but his eyesight…
(Obviously, Shen Long doesn't have the best appearance in both Earth and the Cultivator world. He would, at most, come second because the author of the book is obviously the handsomest.)
Yep, that's me. ;)