Wang Fuyin looked in astonishment at the youth that had just descended from the sky. With a motion of Cheng Hao's hand, the knives liquefied and merged back into the lotus hairpin. After tying his hair back up orderly, the golden-eyed youth spared the other a glance, "So, have the two of you come to a decision?"
[Yes, we have.] Wang Lu started as she communicated directly in Cheng Hao's mind, [Of course, that is under the assumption that you will divulge this information to no one else even under the threat of death.]
"Spooky…" Cheng Hao rubbed his chin pensively.
"What, you afraid of death?" Wang Fuyin chuckled. However, he said those words in a joking tone, without a trace of mockery or contempt. It seemed that, after chatting with the second being in his consciousness by the name Lu, he had gradually come to accept Cheng Hao as a comrade despite their dispute earlier.
Noticing this, Cheng Hao chose to retract the gaze one would use while looking at an idiot and replied in a serious manner, "As one who has very nearly had that experience, I can say that no, I am not afraid of dying. I am, however, unwilling to die. They are two very different things, and while one is inborn of mortals, the other is the resolve that has pushed them all this while and fueled them into creating cultivation. Remember the difference between the two, for it might save your life in the battlefield. As the saying goes, fear the man who fears death, dread the one unwilling to die. Of the two, the first type will tap into the potential of their body in order to survive, bursting out in a crazed, uncontrollable and unexpected manner that might take you by surprise. The second however will not only unleash incredible strength, they will also retain their rational in the midst of it. In their eyes, the world will have slowed down, their minds growing as still as a lake devoid of ripples, their gaze as cold as a millenary glacier."
"Where the first might take you by surprise and kill you because of a mistake, the second will take your life because he realized the way to do so. The latter are those who are baptized by the battlefield and will walk out covered in the blood of their enemies, forever changed: just as the battlefield changed them, they will change the world."
"Ao," Fuyin raised an eyebrow, "what's with the sudden lesson?"
"Not as much of a lesson as it was a pointer, but you should remember this as the first thing I ever taught you, as well as one of the most fundamental ones…" Cheng Hao's eyes narrowed reminiscently, "In this world, a cultivator uses Qi to bend reality to their will. In other words, us cultivators use our will to control the world. The moment you fear death, you ask the world to let you live. The moment you choose you do not want to die, you TELL the world to let you live. In a world where a person's will can change reality, the biggest insanity is the greatest strength; the moment you truly treat this world as a king and believe it to be rightfully yours, you will become its ruler and it will submit to your will. The moment you truly think yourself to be invincible and unkillable in this world, that belief will shape your destiny."
"In this world where will shapes reality, become insane enough, and you will have it all dancing atop your palm."
"…ok, wow." Fuyin chuckled awkwardly after a few moments of silence. "I was just casually remarking back there, but you really had to play the experienced master card, uh?"
"…" Cheng Hao smiled in return, wiping away the reminiscence from his eyes.
Meanwhile, Wang Lu was extremely shocked: to think that this existence that would be considered a mere ant 'outside' would actually have such an understanding of reality and of cultivation…
'It almost seems as if he knew the true nature of the world he was living in...' Lu cast a strange glance at the youth with golden eyes before dispelling the thought, 'If that were truly so, wouldn't he have stepped out into the Outside World already? Then again, his philosophy doesn't seem to be too far off. It only seems to be a matter of time before that happens.'
"Say, I have heard of this 'Xu Ling', your past persona…" Fuyin interrupted as he casted an inquiring glance towards Cheng Hao, "I don't know much, really, but I do know that he supposedly couldn't die. You said that through sheer willpower, one can reach a state of invincibility. Does that mean…"
"…let's go, I will go ahead and explain the situation to the caravan leaders." Cheng Hao did not answer. He merely waved his sleeve, urging the two of them on.
Soon thereafter, they walked to the exit of the bazaar with an extra Heaven&Earth Pouch full to the brim with gifts from the various members of the caravan as ways to thank Fuyin for saving their lives.
At that time, Cheng Hao spoke, "Oh, by the way, I was able to negotiate a backdoor for you thanks to a connection of mine. As of not too long ago you have been recognized as Vacant Sect Disciples of the Mysterious Light-Shadow Sect."
"You sure work quick!" Lu remarked.
"I merely had a bit of luck and stumbled upon a high-tier character and borrowed her personal stamp." The golden-eyed youth shrugged his shoulders. "After that, it was only matter of filling in the paperwork."
Just as the exit came into view, Cheng Hao clicked his tongue while rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Dang, that's right… I also forgot to tell you earlier that I'm afraid I won't be able to meet the terms of our agreement."
"Uh?" Fuyin was taken aback by the sudden hostile attitude.
[What do you mean? Are you actually thinking of crossing us even after Yama's letter? Do you not fear the retaliation of Tian were he to discover your current location?] Lu was, of course, the first to truly react as she asked, interlacing her words with thick killing intent.
"Oh, nothing of the sort, I am very scared. You misunderstood, it's not that I don't want to respect our pact, because I wish to cross you or take advantage of you. It's just because I don't wish to keep anything from my friends as long as I can help it. And before you rained on our parade, that included two more 'people'." Cheng Hao pointed before him. "That one over there is one of them, and she's my companion. I refuse to withhold anything from her as long as it does not endanger her life, and only I get to decide what does and what does not."
Following his finger, Fuyin and Lu saw a stunning purple haired youth hanging by the gates, his eyes in a daze as if he were deep in thoughts. Of course, that was Xiao Wu, who was using every moment available to deepen her understandings of the scriptures Cheng Hao had given her. Right now, a blade that was almost as tall as her was hanging by her waist, making up for quite the comical and even somewhat heartwarming sight of a young man playing warrior.
As Xiao Wu's skillful use of makeup hardened her features, it fooled the eyes of both Wangs, and they both mistook her for a young boy, in spite of Cheng Hao's words. However, the first thing that struck them wasn't the gender as much as was the age of the other party…
[T-That's ridiculous! He's just a child!] Wang Lu replied.
Wang Fuyin also immediately shook his head, "That's right! How could we possibly put him through any danger?"
"Wow." Cheng Hao looked at the two of them with a gaze of disbelief, "Talk about hypocrisy. You say one thing but your actions shout another, which one is it?"
[You know what I mean!] Lu's vague silhouette gritted her teeth, [You are a reborn soul of hundreds of years! You are no child!]
"Mm? And what makes you think that she isn't?" Cheng Hao's crafty gaze made Lu hesitate. She then turned to look at Xiao Wu who seemed immersed in her cultivation. Her seriousness indeed did not resemble that of a kid her age… However, after reprimanding Cheng Hao like that she did not have the face to ask for confirmation.
"Alright, alright, we were in the wrong." Luckily Fuyin intervened, trying to salvage the situation, showing great maturity compared to other fifteen year olds now that he was not flustered.
Cheng Hao, however, tilted his head, "In the wrong? Oh no, you were exactly right, she'll be nine in a few months. I picked her up on the way, a descendant of a friend-"
[…Yin'Er, give me control over your body so I can strangle him.] Lu's voice echoed out in the white-haired youth's mind.
Holding his laughter in from seeing his knowledgeable senior so powerless in front of others, Fuyin shook his head, [Come on, calm down. The fact he's willing to joke around like that means he might be willing to deepen our relationship, it's a good thing!]
Fuyin then asked tactfully, "By the way, you refer to that kid as 'her'? Is he perhaps… Ahem, you know, into cross-dressing or something? How should we address… them?"
"Oh, now that's a rather touchy subject." Cheng Hao chuckled, "Well, I guess she is a decent cross-dresser, although not in the way you might expect... As for the gender, ask her in a while."
By this point, the two youths had gotten close enough for the girl in question to notice them. Xiao Wu's ears perked up as she heard the familiar voice and she widened her eyes in delight, "Brother, I think I understand the rhythm now! Tomorrow I'll try to fight while using two blades for the Black Dragon's Vengeful Talons!"
"Oh, two blades already? Good job!" Cheng Hao gave her a thumbs up and the two of them bumped their fist together. "Is that why you have bought another flying sword? You could have asked me, I still have some in that guy's Heaven&Earth Pouch…"
"Oh, I searched for a few that were as close to the Black Dragon Blade in shape and appearance as possible. I thought it would help out getting used to them before I'm able to craft my own blades." Xiao Wu smiled. Then, she seemed to realize that somebody else was standing by the child's side and was not going away.
He seemed to be in his teens, with shoulder-length white hair and azure eyes. Curiosity got the better of her shyness as she asked, "Brother Hao, who is this? Also, how much…"
'How much does he know about us?'; she let the words linger, afraid to give out any information in case he was merely a casual acquaintance.
"Oh, he is Wang Fuyin. He'll be your fellow disciple under me from today onwards. I believe he has potential and is also related to an old… 'friend'." Cheng Hao smiled and nudged his head towards the youth. "Now, why don't you present yourself? The three of us will be quite close in the future, so feel free to trust him and say whatever." Of course, he was hinting at the fact that she did not have to hide her true identity before this Fuyin.
"In that case, nice to meet you. I'm Xiao Wu of the Xiao Clan." She extended her hand.
"Wang Fuyin, let's get along!" Fuyin grabbed it under Wang Lu's instructions, still not totally used to this world's customs. Then, his presence changed as he spoke again, "Wang Lu. Treat my junior well."
Xiao Wu was dazed. She then turned at Cheng Hao as if she were asking what kind of lunatic did he manage to approach in this time.
"Ahahah, he has a second person in his consciousness." The golden-eyed youth roughly explained, "Be sure not to talk with her, she's cunning and will bully you, stealing all your treasured secrets..."
"Will NOT." 'Wang Fuyin' sighed. Then, Lu recalled, "Mm. You said something about one other person?"
"Oh, you must mean Blindlight." Xiao Wu gladly took the chance to explain, indicating a distance of about one foot with her hands. "He's a dragon with golden scales. He has the appearance of a snake roughly this long…"
"Uh, actually…" At that time, Cheng Hao interrupted her with a somewhat awkward glance, "That might not be completely true anymore…"
Back at the wooden hut…
"What the hell?" Looking at the dragon that was now as long as an adult male, Xiao Wu gaped in shock. Goldy was now starting to truly resemble a dragon as he floated about three feet off the ground and coiled in the air: he had a lush red mane, with many pointy horns growing from his nape, five gleaming sets of draconic claws growing from his abdomen, and a set of razor-sharp teeth that could tear off an arm with a single bite. Furthermore, the aura he was giving off…
"Oh, sup Cheng Hao, Wu'Er. I broke through to High Level Basic Stage, I'm a peak Basic Stage now. The treasures from that guy's Heaven&Earth Pouch were tasty and full of nutrients, we should rob people more often!" Blindlight flew over and sent the newcomer white-haired, azure-eyed child an arrogant glance with his intimidating draconic eyes, "And this is?"
~ ~ ~
Author's Note: I want to clear up a few things just in case.
For starters, in regards to Xiao Wu and her Black Dragon's Vengeful Talons, the skill is actually extremely powerful.
Just think: having to block a strike you can't see is hard enough in and of itself (Unless you have a Purple Moon or something along those lines). Now picture having to do that again over and over, all the while having to bear the frontal attacks that Xiao Wu would blend in in between (Yikes). And finally, just imagine how scary all that would be if the hidden blade was not one, but ten, a hundred, a thousand... by the time one has managed to recover from a single wave, he would already have to face the next one (Rinse and repeat = sure win).
Overtime, the burden, psychological and physical would accumulate to the extreme, and one would fall.
Sleeper OP (In theory, at least)?
Well, yeah. After all, Xiao Lan and Xu Ling were already pretty big shot in the cultivation world when they first created the technique, it's no wonder the skill would turn out to be overbearing ("Most overbearing flying sword counter to date" and all).
Again, webnovel should really consider having more than 500 characters available in the author's notes, it's not like we are writing text messages for a fee...
Then again, it does encourage unskilled authors like me to clarify stuff here rather than in the actual book so...
Lastly, sorry for baiting chapter length with a super-long afterword (still 2000+ words, as I have had that set that as a standard for one chapters for ages). Most likely that's how things are gonna be from now on, as the incoming chapters (even in a far off future) might turn up very convoluted (I can only blame myself for thinking up those stupidly messed up plots) and I hope to clear up any misunderstanding asap.
On that note, I am thinking of polishing up the tales and documents told of in the main story (such as 'White Branches, Black Talons', or the like) in an 'auxiliary volume', what would you guys think? I've been planning on doing that anyway and it's not like it would delay my schedule as I don't really have one, or wouldn't be able to uphold for long even if I did (*cries in procrastination*), so being able to switch around between main story and side tales would allow me to pump out some content at least even in a slump.
To those still reading to this point, thanks for holding to now in despite of everything. I can only do my best to repay you: I'm going to publish a few chapters I have been saving up in these days.
Next chap will be out around this time tomorrow, cheers.
~ Cookie