Chapter 109: Godlike Archery (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Luo Ke Di had been knocked back by Zhou Weiqing's arrow. Luckily, he was a 5 – Jewelled Physical Jewel Master, and his physique was extremely strong and durable. Under such a circumstance, he was still able to react and lessen the damage done. Furthermore, when Zhou Weiqing shot this last arrow, he had plucked out the arrowhead, and Luo Ke Di did not sustain any damage. Otherwise, being taken by surprise like that and hit by an arrow from the Overlord Bow, even though his cultivation level was a lot higher than Zhou Weiqing's, he would still be injured. This was the price to pay for underestimating an enemy.
In truth, it had been extremely difficult for Zhou Weiqing to hit Luo Ke Di. The first four arrows were all testing and probing the situation, and only the fifth arrow targeting the ground was the key to his plan. Luo Ke Di had not known about the power of his Physical Jewel Consolidated Equipment, and the strength of the explosive nature of the Overlord Bow, and had been caught by surprise by the explosion and sent flying into the air. At that time, Zhou Weiqing had already won half the battle.
In the next instant, when Zhou Weiqing fired the next arrow, he had sent the Spatial Attribute Skill Blink from his Elemental Jewel and fused it with the Overlord Bow. Calculating the fact that Luo Ke Di had a limited range of motion while in midair, his Overlord Spatial Arrow's effect was pretty simple. It did not have any increase in power, but it was able to cause the arrow to Blink in midair. Once the arrow had reached about 250 yards from Luo Ke Di, it blinked right to him. Indeed, Luo Ke Di's judgement had not been wrong at all, but alas he had not calculated the fact that the arrow could just blink next to him! Although Zhou Weiqing could not fully control the Overlord Spatial Arrow yet, his luck was pretty decent and it had succeeded in a single try.
A cute little white head popped up from Zhou Weiqing's bosom, blinking its deep blue eyes, though it did not make any sound. Wasn't that the much missed little white tiger? Nobody knew why the little white tiger was so attached to Zhou Weiqing, and though he often 'bullied' it, the little thing refused to leave his side. Because of this, Shangguan Bing'er was often depressed about it.
As Luo Ke Di fell hard on the floor, he executed a perfect roll and jumped back up. Feeling the pain and stuffy feeling in his chest, he was also in a gloomy mood; after all he did not even know how he had been struck by the arrow. Was something wrong with my hearing? That's impossible! Just from distinguishing distances and attacks from hearing alone, even the rest of the guys in the Heavenly Bow Unit weren't any stronger than me! He thought to himself.
This was tantamount to a skilled goose hunter getting his eyes pecked out by a goose, a skilled captain capsizing a ship in a small pond. 1 With his clothes torn and filled with dirt, Luo Ke Di was rather depressed.
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er came running over, and Shangguan Bing'er said with concern clear in her voice: "Senior, are you okay?"
Luo Ke Di felt even worse from her comforting words; if she had ridiculed or taunted him, he probably wouldn't have felt so bad, but being comforted and cared for by a little girl, even though his skin was thick, he couldn't help but flush in shame. Looking strangely at the honest-looking Zhou Weiqing, he said: "Little brat, not bad! Looks like I have misjudged you." With his archery skill and power, how could he not have felt that the arrowhead of the last arrow had been removed, otherwise he might have been injured.
Zhou Weiqing gave a hearty laugh and said: "Senior, it's just my luck, just luck. When I shot the last arrow, my hand slipped and just happened to shoot askew of my target. Who knew that you would accidentally knock into it instead. Does that count as passing the first test?"
Hand slipped? Luo Ke Di's brow twitched at that as he couldn't help but think to himself. Who do you think you're lying to?? The earlier arrows you didn't strip the arrowhead, yet this particular one you did so. Would you do that if you didn't have the confidence of hitting me? Hmph. This little rascal really knows how to pretend to be a boar to eat tigers 2 , why does that seem so familiar though?
Luo Ke Di gritted his teeth and said: "Yes, you both have passed the first test. Now it's time for the second test. Little Brat, pass me your Purple Dawn Bow and quiver."
Zhou Weiqing started and looked at him vigilantly: "What for?"
Luo Ke Di's eyes revealed a crafty look as he gave a faint smile. Before they could even see him moving, let alone react, Zhou Weiqing felt a flash in front of his eyes, and the weight on his body lifted, and his Purple Dawn Bow and quiver appeared in Luo Ke Di's hands. "Earlier, you both each shot 20 arrows at me, now it's my turn to shoot 20 arrows at you two. As long as in this 20 arrows, one of them doesn't hit either of you, then you will pass the second test. Do not worry, I'll pluck out the arrowheads. You guys can start running now, and I'll count to five. One…"
Damn, this is falsely using authority to take personal revenge! Zhou Weiqing thought in his heart, but he did not dare to delay at all, as he and Shangguan Bing'er exchanged looks. Without hesitation, both turned and ran off at top speed.
At the same time, Luo Ke Di leisurely took out an arrow from the quiver, tapping on it with his fingers and breaking off the arrowhead. He slowly nocked it and drew the bow, all the while counting slowly: "two, three, four, five… here's the first arrow!"
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er heard his voice, and instantly leapt and twisted to the side. However, as soon as they did so, they realised something was wrong; they did not hear any sound of an arrow whistling through the air. Could it be a silent arrow?
"Fool! If I say it's coming, does it mean it should really come?" As Zhou Weiqing executed a roll on the ground and was just about to vault up and change directions, he suddenly felt a pain on his buttocks, and he was instantly knocked 3 feet to the front.
It's really a silent arrow? That arrow was obviously shot after his warning, and even ignoring the fact that it was silent, he probably still wouldn't have been able to dodge it if it was loud. After all, the arrow had reached him just as his body was still on the ground, and unless he used the Blink skill, he would not have been able to react in time. However, Zhou Weiqing did not want to reveal his Elemental Jewel secret just yet. Although he had used it earlier in the first test, that was under the condition that Luo Ke Di had not been able to see the arrow. If he used it in such a situation now, it would be extremely obvious to Luo Ke Di.
Despite the fact that the arrowhead was already broken off, but with the power of the Purple Dawn Bow, when the bow shaft struck his buttocks, Zhou Weiqing felt a large force transmit to him. However, it shuddered against the Immortal Deity Shield that automatically protected him, causing it to spread throughout his body and dissipating most of the energy; as such, he was only knocked a few feet to the front and with a slight pain.
So, this is the real way of using the Immortal Deity Shield! Inspiration struck Zhou Weiqing as he suddenly understood the Immortal Deity Shield's effect. When the attack landed on his body, the shielding effect from the five energy whirlpools was just the basic, and the more important effect was the spreading and dissipating of the attack power. Although he would still take some damage on his body, but most of the impact had already been expended, and it would greatly reduce any injury to him.
"Eh? You're pretty good at taking hits!" Luo Ke Did said with some surprise as he looked at Zhou Weiqing, who stumbled back to his feet and continued running forward after the first hit.
According to his original plan, the first arrow should have numbed his buttocks and allowed him to shoot his twenty arrows at will, as corporal punishment. He had reserved all twenty arrows for Zhou Weiqing; after all, he needed to vent away the pent up depression after being shot by Zhou Weiqing just now. However, Zhou Weiqing was unexpectedly fine after the first arrow, and this stirred up Luo Ke Di's competitive heart.
*Swoosh* Another arrow flew out. This time, Zhou Weiqing had extended his senses to their maximum capability, and due to that, when the arrow reached him, it gave him a shock in his heart. This was because he found out that it was not a Silent Arrow! 3
The arrow that Luo Ke Di had shot out did actually have some sound, but it was extremely faint, and even with Zhou Weiqing's senses at their max, it was only when it reached about 10 yards from him did he catch a faint sound.
How did he do that? Zhou Weiqing thought puzzledly, as his buttocks was hit by the arrow once again. This time, his body had just flew forward when the 3rd arrow had reached. He hadn't even landed from the second blow and had no chance at all, and it was followed by the fourth and fifth arrow!
Shangguan Bing'er had started running at the same time as Zhou Weiqing, and the two had jumped apart earlier. However, soon, an extremely strange sight entered her eyes.
Zhou Weiqing was continuously being hit by a stream of arrows from Luo Ke Di, and he wasn't even able to hit the ground before being hit by arrow after arrow, as they kept him in mid air.
What sort of archery is this? Shangguan Bing'er mind froze and she stared dumbfoundedly. After all, both sides were 300 yard apart, and to accomplish such a feat, when the first arrow hit Zhou Weiqing, Luo Ke Di's third arrow already had to be in the air! Only then could the arrows strike continuously without any break, causing him to be caught in midair! 4. This also meant that as soon as Luo Ke Di fired his arrow, he had to determine where and how Zhou Weiqing would be knocked back, and fire his next arrow into that trajectory. This wasn't just a simple matter of eyesight and discernment!
Furthermore, as she looked at Luo Ke Di, he was walking slowly forward as he fired the arrows rapidly, and she was barely able to make out his firing motions. He was also doing so extremely leisurely, even taking the time to give her a suave smile, and barely glancing back at Zhou Weiqing. The even more shocking thing was that, Luo Ke Di was not using a Silent Arrow, but he was able to get more than eighty percent effect of a Silent Arrow. Such unbelievable skill!?
Godlike archery skills! This could only be described as godlike archery! Although his cultivation level is only 5 Jewels, but this archery, such skills, they are almost beyond human comprehension. Is this the true strength of the Heavenly Bow Unit?
By now, Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Energy levels were dropping dangerously low. After all, he had been hit by 8 or so arrows, and even his impressive reserves were running dry. Earlier, he had used the Overlord Bow and Overlord Spatial Arrow earlier, coupled with the current expenditure of energy from the Immortal Deity Technique, caused his Heavenly Energy to drop really quickly.
Zhou Weiqing made the snap decision to stop the Immortal Deity Shield from protecting him, as he needed to reserve sufficient Heavenly Energy for the use of one last Blink. He did not want to fail here in this second test!
After stopping the Immortal Deity Shield, a change quickly occurred, the first one being the massive increase in pain. Originally, Zhou Weiqing was only knocked 3 metres away by each arrow; without the Immortal Deity Technique, the next arrow actually knocked him 5 metres away, and the searing pain and numbness on his buttocks caused him to cry out loud.
Chapter 110: Godlike Archery (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
However, the change also caught Luo Ke Di by surprise, causing his expression to change slightly. The continuous combination arrow skill he was using now was dependent on extremely accurate judgement, and the moment Zhou Weiqing's ability to take blows changed, meant that the arrows he shot out earlier also would miss. At this time, the 11th arrow had just struck Zhou Weiqing, and the 12th and 13th arrow were already in midair, looking as if they would miss him.
Right at this moment, Luo Ke Di finally revealed some of his true abilities. As he shot forth the 14th arrow, it flashed with a bright white light, obviously having been filled with Heavenly Energy. This arrow was extremely fast, giving Shangguan Bing'er, who had become an audience, a great shock. Such an arrow was even faster than her Silent Tracking Arrow or Zhou Weiqing's Overlord Bow's arrow, yet Luo Ke Di was only using ordinary arrows with the Purple Dawn Bow!
Even more shocking to Shangguan Bing'er was what followed, the arrow filled with the bright white light did not actually travel in a straight line, instead arcing through the air and nudging the 12th and 13th arrow as it flew past them, before striking onto Zhou Weiqing's buttock once again. An even stranger sight was that, as soon as it reached Zhou Weiqing, the white light on the arrow vanished.
The result of that was, with three *Pssh* sounds, all three arrows landed almost simultaneously onto Zhou Weiqing, sending him more than a dozen metres ahead. This time, Luo Ke Di had stopped his continuous fire; clearly his rhythm had been interrupted, and Zhou Weiqing landed on the floor on his front.
Good Heavens! Was that still archery? Shangguan Bing'er covered her mouth in shock. Naturally, she could tell that Luo Ke Di did not even bother attacking her, and he was totally doing this to seek revenge on Little Fatty. However, it was also clear that he was not being malicious about it, not only did he remove the arrowheads, but he also only made use of the Purple Dawn Bow's, and did not use Heavenly Energy to injure him. However, that last arrow was just too breathtaking, that single arrow had actually corrected the course of the previous two arrows and hit the target, all at the same time! Shangguan Bing'er could only stare blankly at the scene in front of her, not knowing even how to judge such a skill.
From a very young age, Shangguan Bing'er had liked bows and arrows, and fallen in love with archery. However, just at that moment, she realised that everything she had learnt previously, was literally nothing compared to the archery that Luo Ke Di was displaying. If this man wanted to take their lives, he did not even need to make use of his Physical Jewels or even Heavenly Energy, and he could just depend on archery to take both of them down.
"Heh heh, Little Brat, now for the final gift, a double lucky six 1!" As Luo Ke Di moved the Purple Dawn Bow, six arrows suddenly appeared at the bowstring as he nocked them together and pulled, and with a twist of his body, the six arrows launched out simultaneously!
This time, Shangguan Bing'er actually managed to see some of Luo Ke Di's actions; just before the bowstring released and sounded out, Luo Ke Di's right hand seemed to blur into motion, leaving several shadowy afterimages, before the six arrows flew out.
None of the six arrows actually traveled in a straight line, as they all arced in different paths, racing straight towards Zhou Weiqing.
With Luo Ke Di's discerning vision, how could he not see that the little rascal did not have energy left to even dodge a single arrow? Furthermore, he had used an exquisite skill with extreme accuracy, sealing off all of Zhou Weiqing's possible escape routes. As long as he gets hit by a single arrow, the other five would definitely hit as well.
However, right at this moment, Zhou Weiqing went berserk.
Getting hit by fourteen arrows, especially the last four arrows which brought about such acute pain, it brought forth the rage from Zhou Weiqing's heart. This was petty revenge, an obvious petty revenge! I'm not going to use Blink anymore!
Although Zhou Weiqing's entire body was numb in pain, but there was one thing that Luo Ke Di did not know. Indeed, Zhou Weiqing was hurting so bad that he could barely move at all, but his right leg was totally unaffected! After being knocked back by the last three arrows in succession, he had not tried to get up, instead, lifting his right leg up high. With all his might, he circulated all his remaining Heavenly Energy into his Demonic Right Leg, and slammed it savagely onto the ground, and at the same time he pushed with all his might with both hands.
In a huge explosion, the entire earth caved in from the leg, literally smashing open a 2 metre long, 1 metre wide hole in the ground! With the pressure exerted by Zhou Weiqing, he quickly slid right into this hole.
*Ting* *Ting* *Ting* *Ting*… A burst of concentrated sound rang out at where Zhou Weiqing was a moment ago, that was the last six arrows arcing and hitting each other, while Zhou Weiqing's entire body disappeared from Shangguan Bing'er and Luo Ke Di's line of sight.
Luo Ke Di's eyes widened in surprise; even with as much experience and knowledge as he had, he had never seen anyone evade an arrow in this manner, and the six arrows that he had been so confident off had actually missed the target. As such, although Zhou Weiqing was in a mess, he had definitely depended on his own strength to dodge the last few arrows.
"Little Fatty!" Shangguan Bing'er ran quickly towards him, pulling him out of the hole in the ground.
Besides his right leg, Zhou Weiqing felt that his entire body was hurting terribly, and he couldn't help but curse in his heart. Damn it, that old fellow is too vicious, my poor ass! Of course, he knew that Luo Ke Di had not been trying to injure him, otherwise he would not have targeted his fleshy buttocks. However, having this been done to him in front of Shangguan Bing'er, he felt like all his face had been thrown.
"Damn kid, are you a mammoth? Such strength!? Alright, that counts as your win, you both have passed the second test as well." Luo Ke Di walked over to them as well, and seeing the large hole in the ground, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise as well.
Once again, a cute little white tiger head squirmed out of Zhou Weiqing's bosom, dust and dirt all over it. Jumping onto Zhou Weiqing's shoulder, it issued a low roar towards Luo Ke Di, showing its displeasure.
Zhou Weiqing finally got up with much difficulty, hurting all over. He could also feel a strong sense of bloodlust and violence invading his mind. Oh no, is it the Demonic Change activating due to my wounds?! Breathing in deep, he quickly reined in his feelings and focused hard, constantly repeating to himself that it was just a test, until his feelings started to calm down.
Only the little white tiger on his shoulder could see the sudden flash of red in his eyes, and it blinked its little eyes. If anyone was close enough to observe, they would have seen a sudden flash of excitement in its little eyes.
"Ehh, what's this little thing, how amusing. A little white tiger, that's the first time I've heard of such a thing. Is this a Heavenly Beast you're rearing?" Luo Ke Di looked on curiously at the small white tiger on Zhou Weiqing's shoulders.
Zhou Weiqing drew a deep breath as he settled his composure, before giving a humph and said: "Yes, it's mine."
Luo Ke Di grinned and said: "Heh heh, little fellow, don't be so moody. Only a person who has gone through suffering will become an outstanding person. Look, even when I was knocked back by your arrow, I still didn't get angry. In the future, we might even become comrades in arms, I was just acting according to the rules, right?"
Acting according to rules? Shooting me alone? Zhou Weiqing gave him a glare, however in truth, although he still had a little anger in him, it was mostly respect he felt. He might not have seen how Luo Ke Di's archery, but just hfrom the way he had been suspended in the air by the earlier bout of arrows, he knew that the difference in skill level between Luo Ke Di and them was just too huge.
Luo Ke Di walked over and patted Zhou Weiqing on the back, saying softly so that only he could hear: "Hey kid, let's discuss this alright? When we get to the Heavenly Bow Unit, if you do not mention what happened just now, I'll ensure you pass the 3rd test, how about that?"
Zhou Weiqing started a little, then instantly understood. So, this fellow was afraid of losing face! Indeed, with his cultivation level and skill, being tricked by Zhou Weiqing was indeed very embarrassing, furthermore there was still the earlier scene of vomiting from seeing the 'Lethal Weapon'.
Zhou Weiqing immediately lifted his hand, grinned and patted Luo Ke Di on the shoulder as well, saying: "Senior's archery is unrivaled, us juniors being able to pass the test is truly by luck, not easy indeed! Senior is definitely someone we need to learn from."
Both of them exchanged a meaningful look, as if telling each other: You know what I mean.
Shangguan Bing'er couldn't help but stare from the side, her jaw dropped. Those two fellows had been plotting against each other from the time they met, and each had suffered some losses, yet now they seemed like good friends? This change was just too fast! With her temperament, she naturally did not understand the communication between these two rogues.
"Alright, this little brother is such a promising youth, indeed worthy of being recommended by Admiral Zhou to join our Heavenly Bow Unit. Come, I'll bring you both to the Heavenly Bow Unit's camp, your last test will be held there."
What Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er didn't know was that, in truth, Shangguan Bing'er could have went to the Heavenly Bow Unit without undergoing the first two tests. After all, she was a Heavenly Jewel Master, and Admiral Zhou had long since verified her loyalty to the empire. With her innate talent, how could she still need any more tests? The only test that was required was actually the 3rd test that Luo Ke Di mentioned, to see if her current ability was sufficient.
As for the two earlier tests, it was in fact made up by Luo Ke Di to take revenge on Zhou Weiqing for making fun of him earlier. If they hadn't already been slated to join the Heavenly Bow Unit, Luo Ke Di wouldn't have the authority to test them and bring them to the Heavenly Bow Unit on his own, as it was considered the top level secret in the entire Empire! As such, even a wily young fox like Zhou Weiqing was no match for the tricks of the old fox Luo Ke Di.
Under Luo Ke Di's leadership, the three of them quickly entered the Stars Forest. Luo Ke Di moved ahead very quickly, heading in a beeline towards the depths of the Stars Forest. His flexibility boost was indeed impressive, with just some Heavenly Energy boost, in the thick brush of the Stars Forest, he moved as if it were flat ground. Both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had to make use of their wind attributes, and Zhou Weiqing even needing to make use of his right leg's boost, in order to catch up with him.
Zhou Weiqing was extremely familiar with the Stars Forest, and after a while, he had guessed where Luo Ke Di was headed.
About a year ago, he had been exploring the depths of the forest when he had been stopped by a troop of soldiers. At that time, he had been extremely curious about why there was a troop of soldiers stationed there, but had not explored further. Now, it seemed like that was clearly where the mysterious Heavenly Bow Unit was stationed, or at least close to that area.
Chapter 111: Godlike Archery (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
After more than two hours of travel at their maximum speeds, Luo Ke Di finally slowed slowed down a little. Just ahead, the army camp that Zhou Weiqing had spotted long ago came into their vision, and the patrolling soldiers also spotted them.
Zhou Weiqing asked curiously: "This is the Heavenly Bow Unit?"
Luo Ke Di gave a humph and said: "Of course not, they are only the external guards stationed here. In this area, there are three Battalion worth of troops which are outside of the Five Regiments, and they only report to the Royal Family. There are many sentry points and hidden posts guarding the place, and the innermost area is where our Heavenly Bow Unit is.
As he said that, he brought the two and strode forward. The patrolling soldiers were extremely alert, but on seeing it was Luo Ke Di, they immediately saluted respectfully, and because of that, none of them even stopped Zhou Weiqing or Shangguan Bing'er, only giving them a few curious looks.
As they entered the army camp, both of them realised that there weren't many people within. Undoubtedly, most of the soldiers stationed here were on patrol or sentry duty. From the noticeable patrols, the Heavenly Bow Unit was right in the middle of the protection of the three Battalions of soldiers.
After passing about 500 metres into the camp, they passed by another patch of forest and entered a large clearing. At that moment, a huge courtyard appeared before Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er's eyes.
The courtyard was fenced in by a 3 metre tall wall made out of thick wooden boards and tied together by vines, and ordinary smaller wild animals would be easily kept out by this fence. The courtyard was rather large; just from an estimation outside, it seemed to be about 100 metres wide. The two large wooden doors were open wide, revealing the spacious courtyard and the row of wooden houses at the back. Each of the wooden houses were individually situated, right deep in at the back of the courtyard, and there were about a dozen of them.
As Luo Ke Di led the two into the courtyard, it seemed empty. Once they had entered the courtyard, it seemed as if they were no longer in the forest, although the air was still as fresh and clear as in the forest.
Zhou Weiqing thought to himself: These guys from the Heavenly Bow Unit sure know how to enjoy themselves!
"The newbies are here, come on out!" Luo Ke Di stood in the middle of the courtyard and yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Old Rogue, why are you yelling! Don't you know we all have a mission to carry out tomorrow?" The door of the wooden house on the left opened up, and a man walked out. The man was of medium build, around 1.7m tall, and a clean cut short hair. His shoulders were wide, and the muscles around his neck were bunched up like a small hill. Although he wasn't very tall, but he gave off a massive and stable aura. Looking to be about 40 years of age, his features seemed ordinary, but his eyes were piercing and fierce, as if a dormant volcano which could explode at any time.
Luo Ke Di grinned and said: "Little Mo Mo, these two newbies are brought over by Old Zhou. It's been a long time since we had new blood, and it's definitely not an easy thing for us to do so. We all have to meet up eventually, and since they have reached just in time, that means I can join up you guys on the mission tomorrow as well."
The middle aged man's glance landed on Shangguan Bing'er and Zhou Weiqing, looking extremely apathetic, and he said passively: "My name is Han Mo. Old Rogue, if you call me Little Mo Mo again, I'll destroy your hidden stash of wine." As soon as he said that, he turned around and went back into his house, slamming the door shut with a bang.
Luo Ke Di shrugged his shoulders helplessly and said: "Don't mind him, he's always like that to everyone. Amongst the bunch of us, he is the one with the coldest attitude."
"Ohh, the newbies are here? Wahaha, and there's a beautiful lady, that's great. Welcome welcome, much welcome to you two for joining us." Right at that moment, a large figure appeared out of nowhere, and in a few steps he was right in front of Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er.
The man was extremely tall, about 1.9metres, and extremely well built. He seemed even older than Han Mo, with a head of dishevelled red hair. With a pair of brown eyes set in a stalwart looking face which seemed lined with power and strength, he had a warm welcoming look on his face, showing a large contrast from Han Mo earlier.
"My name is Gao Shen. Little brother, little sister, what are your names?" As Gao Shen walked to the front, he put his arm around Luo Ke Di's shoulder as he asked the duo.
"I'm Zhou Little Fatty, she's Shangguan Bing'er. How are you, Senior Gao." Zhou Weiqing said simply.
With a hearty laugh, Gao Shen said: "What Senior? I'm just a few years older than you guys, just call me Gao Shen Elder Bro will do. Old Rogue, you take good care of them, I'm going back to prepare mine and Han Mo's arrows." Having said that, he waved to Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er, before turning around to leave.
Luo Ke Did shrugged once again and said: "We have a total of 7 people in our Heavenly Bow Unit, and there are only 5 of us at home now, as the other two have gone out on missions. Gao Shen and Han Mo are a pair of partners. There should be two more whose houses are nearby."
Shangguan Bing'er said with a faint smile: "That Gao Shen Elder Brother seems to be a nice guy."
Luo Ke Di's mouth twitched and he grinned, saying: "Nice guy? Among those two fellows, if I had to choose only one to be a friend, I would definitely choose Han Mo instead of Gao Shen. Little girl, do you know what's Gao Shen's nickname? Han Mo's nickname is called Arrow Tower, and Gao Shen's nickname is called Cannon. In our Heavenly Bow Unit, the evaluation that Gao Shen gets the most is this line: Murder and arson, look for Gao Shen. The death tally of the other six of us added up cannot match his, he is indeed a homocidal maniac."
"Old Rogue, do not scare the kids." Right at that moment, a magnetic voice sounded out behind them. As Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er turned around, they saw two men walking in from the outside, and the both of them had a huge contrast in appearance.
The man on the left was tall and lanky, looking about forty years of age as well. Luo Ke Di was already considered rather handsome and suave, but compared to this middle aged man, he was not even on the same level. He had a very handsome face, fair skin, straight eyebrows pointing upwards, a pair of attractive yet fierce eyes, straight nose and firm mouth. His long gold hair was draped at his back, giving him an overall graceful air. Especially his pair of deep blue eyes with a hint of melancholy, that was definitely a lady killer. Wearing a spotlessly clean white robe, it definitely complemented his appearance.
Shangguan Bing'er noticed that the middle aged man had a pair of large hands, with cultured fingers like jade.
Just as Shangguan Bing'er was looking at the suave middle aged man, Zhou Weiqing was staring dumbfounded at the other man. This man was standing beside the suave middle aged man, and was a huge contrast in appearance. Only about 1.6m tall, with no visible muscles on his skinny frame, he seemed to be about 50 years old, with his messy grey hair set to the back. His eyes were darting around, secretly eying Shangguan Bing'er while he his throat moved, as if swallowing saliva. Along with the tobacco pipe in his mouth, he looked vulgar and like a scoundrel.
As Shangguan Bing'er looked at him, their gazes met, and she couldn't help but furrow her brow, subconsciously moving behind Zhou Weiqing. This scoundrelly-looking old man's gaze was even more loathsome than Luo Ke Di's.
Right at this moment, Zhou Weiqing cried out: "Teacher!!", giving Shangguan Bing'er a huge surprise.
Zhou Weiqing rubbed his eyes, ensuring that he had not seen wrongly, and dashed forward with delight on his face. "Teacher! It's really you!"
That suave middle aged man is his teacher? Shangguan Bing'er thought in surprise, then she suddenly saw Zhou Weiqing give the old scoundrel a big hug.
A strange expression appeared on Shangguan Bing'er's beautiful face, and it was as if comprehension dawned upon her, why Zhou Weiqing was so precocious and the reason why he had a mind full of dirty thoughts.
"Ehhh, why are you here little brat? Your dad let you come?" The old scoundrel rolled his eyes, looking very surprised, and said exasperatedly: "Let go of this old man, your Father, I, do not have any interest in men. What's the point of hugging!"
Luo Ke Di stared dumbfoundedly at them and said: "Mu En, this little brat is your disciple? That means he's Old Zhou's son? Damn it, didn't you say that little brat was a trash? Old Zhou is such an old fashioned, serious guy, how could he possibly let his son learn from you and be ruined? No wonder that little brat was full of evil tricks, and yet seemed so familiar. After so long, it was all from you, this old thing!"
Mu En instantly grew enraged, pushing Zhou Weiqing aside and exclaiming: "Luo Ke Di, you little rogue, what are you saying? What do you mean ruined by me? When did I ruin him? Your Father I has taught a fine student as should be, okay!? 1 If you talk more rubbish, I'll 'ruin you' a little first."
"Alright, alright, you both, tone it down a little. Don't scare the kids." The handsome middle aged man shook his head helplessly. Turning to Shangguan Bing'er and Zhou Weiqing, he smiled and said: "Ignore them, although they argue a lot, they are actually extremely close; they just can't help themselves and argue every time they meet up. Don't mind them, they don't have any malice. Let me introduce myself first, I'm called Hua Feng, and I'm the Leader of the Heavenly Bow Unit."
As soon as Hua Feng opened his mouth, Mu En and Luo Ke Di both quietened down. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er both bowed down towards Hua Feng and said: "Greetings, Hua Feng Senior."
Zhou Weiqing definitely did not expect that he would meet Mu En here. Four years ago, when he had just passed his 10th birthday, Admiral Zhou had suddenly brought this dirty old man Mu En in front of him and asked him to be his teacher. After which, he had accompanied Mu En for two years and studied under his tutelage. He had not learned any fighting or killing techniques, but rather how to survive in the society, how to conduct himself in the world and deal with people; of course he also learned how to be a rogue and scoundrel.
Admiral Zhou given this evaluation about the dirty old man to Zhou Weiqing like this: He might not have a lot of power, but in this society, he is one of the type of people who has the best survival capabilities. As long as you can learn some of his abilities, at least in the future you will never starve to death. In truth, what Zhou Weiqing did not know was that Admiral Zhou had struggled for a long time before asking Mu En to teach his son. Mu En's nickname was God Eye Scoundrel, and you could imagine what Zhou Weiqing would learn from him. For Zhou Weiqing, being only 14 years old, to know so much and be so precocious, it can be said that it was due to those 2 years when he was learning from Mu En.
Hua Feng smiled and said: "Welcome, both of you, to the Heavenly Bow Unit."
Shangguan Bing'er said: "Hua Feng Senior, isn't there still another test before we join officially?"
Hua Feng said; "For Admiral Zhou to recommend you both, that means you definitely have the right and ability to enter the Heavenly Bow Unit, otherwise, old Rogue wouldn't bring you guys here. As for the test, you two will join us on a mission tomorrow, and your performance during the mission will be your test."
Chapter 112: Paradise Strange (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Since they were already here, they would definitely want to do their best. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er nodded towards Hua Feng in agreement.
"Wait, Little Wei, did you manage to solve your blocked meridian problem? I haven't seen you for over a year, and you've already grown so much!" Mu En said with a surprised expression. He knew Zhou Weiqing's actual age, and also the state of his body previously; as such, he did not expect that Zhou Weiqing would actually become a Heavenly Jewel Master.
Zhou Weiqing said with some dissatisfaction: "Teacher, that time you left without saying a word! Your disciple hasn't just solved the blocked meridians issue. Look!" As he said that, Zhou Weiqing lifted up his right hand, and as he circulated his Heavenly Energy, his Heavenly Jewels appeared. Around his right wrist, the Icy Jade glittered as it orbited the wrist, showing its purity in front of everyone.
Mu En blinked his eyes; although he was the oldest in the group, but his eyesight and vision was incomparable, otherwise he wouldn't have the nickname of God Eye Scoundrel. When the absolutely pure Icy Jade appeared in front of him, Mu En was immediately stunned.
Luo Ke Di's gaze immediately drifted to Zhou Weiqing's left hands. Alas, Zhou Weiqing was already rather experienced, and his left hand was totally covered by his sleeve.
Hua Feng's eyes seemed to flash with an excited light, looking at Zhou Weiqing with a very gentle gaze. His eyes seemed to have a hint of bewilderment and recollection, as if he were trying to think of something.
"That's not possible! It's only been slightly over a year since we've met, even if you solved your blocked meridian issues, it shouldn't be possible for you to Awaken your Heavenly Jewels! You… little brat… are you a fake?" As he said that, Mu En took a step forward, his hands reaching for Zhou Weiqing's face and pinching them.
Zhou Weiqing said smugly: "If you're jealous, then just say you're jealous! I'm so suave, so handsome, who could possibly successfully masquerade as me! You know my dad's temper, he would never resort to do anything for personal gain. If not for the fact that my Heavenly Jewel Awakened, how could he possibly let me come to the Heavenly Bow Unit together with Shangguan Bing'er? Teacher, let me introduce you, this is my wife, Shangguan Bing'er, our Heavenly Bow Empire's top beauty! Heh heh."
Shangguan Bing'er rolled her eyes at him, but did not refute it.. Perhaps it was because she had met the 'Rogue' and the 'Scoundrel', and did not feel safe, and needed Zhou Little Fatty to help her feel safe.
Without a doubt, this little rascal's smug look made them want to hit him, but the fact that his Heavenly Jewels actually Awakened definitely shook the three Heavenly Bow Unit members present. After all, before Zhou Weiqing, there were only the two Heavenly Jewel Masters in the entire Empire, one was Admiral Zhou, and the other was the young genius of the generation, Shangguan Bing'er. Perhaps an additional Heavenly Jewel Master wasn't that important for a large Empire, but to such a small Empire like Heavenly Bow Empire, it could be something that totally changed the state of affairs in their entire Empire, something important that could totally change their fate in the next few dozen years. It can be said that if the Heavenly Bow Empire did not have the 8 – Jeweled Admiral Zhou to protect them, with the addition of the Heavenly Bow Unit, perhaps the Empire would have been exterminated by now.
Luo Ke Di looked towards Mu En and said: "Old Scoundrel, his Physical Jewel is definitely real. When I was testing their strength earlier, he used a piece of Consolidated Equipment, a bow, on me. Its strength was rather impressive.
Hua Feng said: "Let's go, we should head to the official meeting hall to discuss more."
"Rogue, go over and call Arrow Tower and Cannon over as well." As he said that, he walked over to Zhou Weiqing, patted him on the shoulder, and headed towards one of the largest wooden houses.
The rest of them followed him into the wooden house; it was empty and only had a huge long table in the middle, surrounded by many round chairs. Obviously, this was where they normally held their meetings. Hua Feng sat down at the main seat, and Luo Ke Di brought the other 2 members in as well. "Boss." Han Mo and Gao Shen greeted Hua Feng, who smiled faintly and said: "Everyone, sit please." Everybody took their seats, and Zhou Weiqing sat together with Shangguan Bing'er.
Hua Feng turned his gentle gaze towards Zhou Weiqing and said: "Let me introduce these two. This young lady is our Heavenly Bow Empire's young generation's greatest genius, Shangguan Bing'er; previously when Admiral Zhou came he had mentioned her, and that she will be joining us for two years for training. As for this young lad here, he is Admiral Zhou's only son, Zhou Weiqing. Previously, he had studied under Mu En about survival for two years. Now that his Heavenly Jewel has Awakened, he has become our Empire's third Heavenly Jewel Master, and will also join us together with SHangguan Bing'er for training. Miss Shangguan, you are a dual agility type Heavenly Jewel Master, while I am a Wind Attribute Elemental Jewel Master; are you willing to take me as your teacher?"
Shangguan Bing'er started a little, and an excited look came over her face. Towards the Heavenly Bow unit, she had heard many tales about them and had always yearned to join it. Earlier, she had witnessed Luo Ke Di's amazing archery, and now that the Heavenly Bow Unit's leader, who even had the same Elemental Jewel Attribute as her, wanted to take her in as a disciple, how could she not be willing? Furthermore, among the five members of the Heavenly Bow Unit they had seen so far, it seemed like only this leader was relatively normal…
As such, Shangguan Bing'er stood up and walked up to Hua Feng. Kneeling down, she called out "Teacher." As she said that, she bowed down three times.
After she had finished bowing, Hua Feng helped her up. "You can follow me from now on, and I'll pass on everything I know to you. You are a talented Heavenly Jewel Master, and I'm confident that you will surpass me before long."
After Shangguan Bing'er returned to her seat, Hua Feng turned to Zhou Weiqing and said: "Since your Heavenly Jewel Awakened, you should be of the Darkness Attribute like Admiral Zhou. Unfortunately, we do not have anyone with the same attribute as you, so I recommend that you continue learning from Mu En. In our Heavenly Bow Unit, Mu En might not be the strongest person, but his archery is definitely the top."
As soon as Hua Feng said that, instantly 3 soft humphs sounded out, naturally it was the other 3 members of the Heavenly Bow Unit.
Luo Ke Di's humph was filled with disdain, Gao Shen's was filled with provocation, while Han Mo's was rather fierce and forceful.
"What are you guys humph-ing about! Any of you want to compete in archery? Within 100 yards, even if all 3 of you face me, I'll still beat you." Mu En said airily, slumping back in his chair comfortably.
With the cool eye of the bystander, Zhou Weiqing saw that when Mu En said that, the other 3 eyes wandered and nobody met his gaze.
Hua Feng laughed heartily, saying: "If we're just talking about archery, I'm confident that in this world, in the 100 yard distance, Mu En is unbeatable. Little Wei, Bing'er, in the future I'll just call you that alright, let me introduce the Heavenly Bow Unit to you."
"Our Heavenly Bow Unit has been set up for around 130 years, and it has acted 3 times previously when the Heavenly Bow Empire was on the verge of extinction, and turning the tides. As such, 86 years ago, our Heavenly Bow Empire changed name to honour our Heavenly Bow Unit, and from then on our Heavenly Bow Unit was considered the crack unit, known as the God Bow of the Empire, and this land is considered sacred land in the Empire. The first generation of the Heavenly Bow Unit as also 7 people, and from then on, it has always been maintained at 7 people. We are all considered the second generation of the Heavenly Bow Unit, and each of us have inherited a different type of archery, which I can hope you can carry on and improve."
"Our Heavenly Bow Unit had also once contained Heavenly Jewel Masters, though there haven't been many. Admiral Zhou was actually supposed to to lead the Heavenly Bow Unit, but due to some other reasons, I had to take over instead. Currently, amongst the 7 of us, I'll do a simple introduction of our attributes and unique points."
"I'm a 7 Jeweled Wind Attribute Elemental Jewel Master, and as the leader of the Heavenly Bow Unit, I'm mostly in charge of strategy and direction, as well assassinations. My nickname is called 'Ultimate Assassin1'."
When Hua Feng said the two words, 'Ultimate Assassin', even though he was smiling, but both Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er both felt a chill run down their spines.
Hua Feng turned to Mu En and said: "Mu En, 6 Jeweled Physical Jewel Master, half agility and half strength, and he is mainly in charge of destruction and sneak attacks, able to killing and sniping enemies in any conditions or environments. He is also in charge of disguises and hiding identities. With the best vision in our entire unit, his nickname is called 'God Eye Scoundrel'.
"Luo Ke Di, 5 Jeweled Physical Jewel Master, half coordination and flexibility, and he is mainly in charge of scouting, survey, tricking enemies, and is the only scout of our unit. His nickname is Drunken Rogue, and partners with Mu En, which is what they call the Unparalleled Liu Duo." At the side, Mu En gave a humph, saying: "Being in charge of scouting, that just means he is the weakest amongst us all."
Luo Ke Di said angrily: "What do you mean weakest? I have lived a dozen years less than the rest of you." Although he said that, it was clear that he was only acting fierce. Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er exchanged looks, both of them couldn't hide the shock in their hearts. Being the weakest in the unit, Luo Ke Di's archery was already so impressive, they could barely imagine what the others' could be like.
Mu En curled his lip in disdain, but Hua Feng ignored him and continued: "Han Mo, 6 – Jewelled Physical Jewel Master, toughness and stamina, and he is extremely skilled in keeping up a constant barrage of strong attacks. In our unit, he is in charge of continuous attack and suppressing fire. His nickname is Arrow Tower, with the meaning that he is just like an arrow tower, firing unceasingly."
"Gao Shen, 6 Jeweled Elemental Jewel Master, Fire Attribute, and is just a master of destruction and attacking. His nickname is Cannon, and under a normal circumstance, the pair of Gao Shen and Han Mo working together can easily suppress a more than a thousand ordinary soldiers."
Hua Feng said: "There are two other members as well, but they are out in a mission right now. I'll introduce them to you both when you meet them in the future."
Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but ask: "Leader, what do you mean by mission? Do we go on missions for the Empire?"
Chapter 113: Paradise Strange (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Hua Feng smiled and said: "Of course not, we do not actually lie in the direct jurisdiction of the empire. Even the Royal Family cannot command us to do anything normally, and we usually only take action if our Empire is on the verge of destruction. As a Heavenly Jewel Master, you should know that Jewel Masters take a lot of money to sustain. As such, we need our own income, and this comes from these missions. To be more accurate, we are an assassin organisation, and we are known in the world as 'Paradise Strange'.
Of course, besides the few of us, no one else in the world knows that the Heavenly Bow Unit from Heavenly Bow Empire is actually Paradise Strange. In the entire Boundless Mainland's assassination world, our Paradise Strange is ranked the 7th of all the assassin organisations. Being set up for over a hundred years, the completion rate of our missions is about 79% and those organisations which rank above us are all at least ten times our numbers.
"Paradise Strange?" Zhou Weiqing's mouth twitched, as he thought to himself: Damn, that sure is an innovative name!
Hua Feng smiled faintly as he said: "The Strange launches the dark destructive arrows, sending you to Paradise.1. From now on, you are also members of Paradise Strange, however, these 2 years will be your training period, and as such, you will not be given a cut from the missions. When your power reaches an acceptable standard and everyone agrees, we will start giving out a cut to you as well."
Mu En looked at Zhou Weiqing and gave a humph before saying: "Little Brat, do not think to judge us assassins by the normal Jewel Master standards. If we were to fight normally, without our bows, face to face, any normal 5-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master would be able to destroy our entire Heavenly Bow Unit. However, do you know over this past 100 odd years, what our battle accomplishments have been? I'll only mention the higher level ones. The strongest person we have assassinated was a 9-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master; just him alone would normally be strong enough to equal hundreds of 9-Jeweled ordinary Jewel Masters! Furthermore, over the years, we have racked up a death tally of 11 9-Jeweled Heavenly Zong Jewel Masters, 43 8-Jeweled Jewel Masters, 114 7-Jeweled Jewel Masters."
Shangguan Bing'er said: "Seniors, we will definitely work hard and train with all our might, please do give us your guidance."
Han Mo stood up and said to Hua Feng: "Boss, if there is nothing else, I'll head back now."
Hua Feng nodded and said: "Bing'er, come with me, I'll arrange a place for you to stay, and also test your current strength."
"Yes, teacher." Shangguan Bing'er stood up. Just as she was about to leave, Zhou Weiqing quickly grabbed her hand, moving closer to her ear and whispering softly: "Bing'er, don't get taken advantage off by that old handsome dude!" Towards Hua Feng, with such good looks and graceful air, he felt a sense of danger in his heart.
Shangguan Bing'er flushed deeply, gave him a pinch, before leaving with Hua Feng.
Zhou Weiqing could clearly see that when Hua Feng left, his mouth had twitched upwards in an amused smile, and couldn't help but feel a little perturbed. Could it be… despite whispering so softly, he heard my words?
As soon as Shangguan Bing'er and Hua Feng exited, Mu En, Luo Ke Di and Gao Shen, who were seated on the opposite side of Zhou Weiqing, all burst out laughing. Luo Ke Di was the most exaggerated, laughing till tears streamed down his cheeks, even banging his fist on the table, while Mu En had almost slid off his chair while laughing. Zhou Weiqing asked puzzledly: "Why are all of you laughing, what's so funny?"
Gao Shen said while laughing heartily: "Little Wei, did you feel that your whispering was very soft, and that only Bing'er could hear it?"
"What? Did… did you all hear what I said?" Zhou Weiqing asked in surprise.
Luo Ke Di gave him a big thumbs up and said: "Little Wei, let me tell you, if anyone else had said what you said to Boss Hua Feng, even if they didn't die, they would be severely injured at least. Your voice… soft? Have you forgotten what we do for a living? We're all archers, and assassins! For an archer, being able to judge distance and speeds from hearing is our bread and butter, even an ordinary Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Master may not be able to do as well as us! Your whisper was no different from speaking beside our ears. Hahahahaha! And you actually was afraid that Boss would try to steal your girl… hahaha, ahhh I almost laughed to death."
"What so funny!? As a man, what's wrong with being concerned about my wife." Zhou Weiqing cried out, his embarrassment also turning into anger.
"Damn, little brat, stop throwing my face as well." Mu En said to him. "Little brat, in terms of generation, do you know what Boss Hua Feng hopes that you will call him most?"
Zhou Weiqing asked suspiciously: "What?"
Mu En paused and said: "Little Mother. 2"
"What?!" Zhou Weiqing's eyes almost popped out of his sockets. "Do you mean that Leader is a lady?"
"No, no… of course our Boss Hua Feng is a man, however, he likes other men as well. Furthermore, the person he is in love with is your father! Hahahahahaha, little brat, you actually worried that someone who wants to be your little mother would steal your wife. Hahaha, I can't stop laughing."
Zhou Weiqing could only stare dumbfoundedly at the trio, his jaw agape as he remained speechless. All of a sudden, without warning, Mu En and the rest of them stopped laughing, their expressions changing, and almost instantly dropped to the ground. RIght behind them in the wooden wall of the house, 3 small holes appeared where they had been a split second ago.
Hua Feng's voice traveled from the distance: "If the three of you want to die, I don't mind helping you fulfill your wish."
Luo Ke Di's face turned pale, while Gao Shen immediately put on a straight, solemn face, saying: "Rogue, how can you gossip about Boss? I look down on you! I'm heading back to pack my things for the mission tomorrow." As soon as he said that, he vanished out of the room hastily.
Only Mu En sat back down in his chair as if nothing had happened, looking at the stunned Zhou Weiqing and said passively: "Little Wei, do you understand now?"
"Understand? Indeed I understand now. No wonder we are called Paradise Strange… Indeed there isn't a single normal person here…" Zhou Weiqing's had a strange expression on his face, as an extremely weird scene appeared in his mind… his father and the graceful Hua Feng holding hands…
Feeling his gut start to roll, Zhou Weiqing immediately gave himself a slap, bringing himself away from that picture instantly.
Of the seven members or the Heavenly Bow Unit, he had met 5. One homosexual, one rogue, one scoundrel, one homicidal maniac, and one ice cube. Thinking, he asked tentatively: "Teacher, what are the nicknames of the last 2 members?"
Mu En stood up and walked over to him, saying: "You will have to be careful of the last 2 members. One of them is the only female in our Heavenly Bow Unit, a beautiful lady. She has been in love with Hua Feng for over twenty years, just like how Hua Feng has been in love with your father. Her name is Shui Cao, but we usually call her Little Grass 3. However, she definitely suffers from hormonal imbalance, and her temper is extremely violent and fiery; besides Hua Feng, she is fierce to everyone else, and her nickname is also Volcano4. Fire refers to her temper, while mountain refers to her attribute, as she is an Earth Attribute Elemental Jewel Master. She is the one you have to be the most careful of, as in her eyes, your father is the one who stole her beloved."
"The final member is our vice leader, called Yi Shi. His speciality is sneak attacks, as well as supporting arrows, and is the best support in the battlefield. In terms of treacherous and sinister plans, nobody can beat her. Her gender is… unique… just like her nickname, Transvestite."
Currently, Zhou Weiqing had a head full of black lines 5, and his facial muscles were twitching. What sort of collection of people were these? Adding a transvestite and a tigress, how were they going to spend the next two years?!
"Come on, let's go as well. I'll assign you a place to stay, then you can show me your strength. You've already accomplished Consolidated Equipment for your Physical Jewel, have you also Stored Skill for your Elemental Jewel?
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Yes I have."
Mu En's eyes spun as he said: "That Old Zhou, he really is willing to splurge on you!"
By now, Zhou Weiqing had mostly recovered. After all, he had been around Mu En for over two years, and his ability to take in strange new sights was well trained. Listening to Mu En's words, he could only grin to himself.
Luo Ke Di said: "Alright, I'll head back to drink wine. Little Wei, don't forget about what I told you earlier."
Zhou Weiqing raised his brow and said: "What did you say? I forgot already."
"What?!" Luo Ke Di slammed the table and waved his fist at Zhou Weiqing. "Little Brat, are you asking to die?"
Mu En rolled his eyes and said: "I think the one who's asking to die is you! My disciple just came and you're already threatening him? How can you be his Shi Shu6 like that?"
Zhou Weiqing quickly hid behind Mu En, nodding and saying: "Exactly, Shi Shu! My memory is usually quite bad, but if I get a welcome gift, perhaps it'll help me jog my memory and help me remember what you said earlier."
Luo Ke Di's mouth couldn't help but twitch a little: "As dragons' sons are dragons, a phoenix will also beget little phoenixes, a rat's child will naturally know how to bore holes. 7. You little brat, you've only just arrived and you're already trying to con me."
Mu En laughed out and said: "Well said, I will definitely pass on your words to Zhou Shui Niu. Looks like you are already confident of beating him! Heh heh!"
Luo Ke Di said angrily: "I was talking about you!"
Mu En said innocently: "But, Little Wei is not my son, he's just my disciple. You said rat's child, but he isn't my child at all. Ahhh, it's been so long since I've seen Zhou Shui Niu beating someone up, I can't wait to see it!"
Luo Ke Di stared at the teacher disciple pair, speechless, before he finally caved in and said with grief and indignation: "I'm scared of you two! Old scoundrel, I'll give a welcoming gift alright."
Mu En said in a magnanimous manner: "No problem! Just remember to bring it before we set off tomorrow. Come Little Wei, let's go."
Zhou Weiqing gave Luo Ke Di a wide smile, saying: "Shi Shu, thanks! I'm sure your gift will be extremely good!"
On hearing his words, Luo Ke Di almost wanted to slam his head against the wall. This master disciple pair was just too unbeatable, quickly working together so with such compatibility. An ordinary welcome gift was not even sufficient, having to be an extremely good one! Looking at the two of them walk off, he couldn't help but gnash his teeth together, thinking to himself: Perhaps it's also time that Your father, I, should also find a disciple!
As they exited to the courtyard, Mu En turned to Zhou Weiqing and said: "Little Wei, just now that Little Rogue said that your Consolidated Equipment was quite a good bow. Let me have a look. Little Rogue has always had good taste, and is very picky; having him praise your bow, it should be pretty good."
Zen's notes:
Once again, had some trouble with the title/ name of their group, which took me quite a long time.
Basically it is 变态天堂, where 变态 has several meanings. The reason why the name is so awesome in Chinese is because many of the meanings suit them! Basically, 变态 can be used to mean… just changes, down to the perverted, weird, strange which I used, to being monstrously strong etc.
天堂 of course means Heaven or Paradise / Utopia.
Some of the suggestions my friends gave were like Hentai Heaven, Pervert Paradise, etc etc =p I finally settled on Paradise Strange (thanks Deceptioning).
Chapter 114: Paradise Strange (3)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
While traveling to the Heavenly Bow Unit, Zhou Weiqing's five energy whirlpools at his Death Acupuncture Points had been drawing in energy at full speed, and by now at least half of his Heavenly Energy had already recovered. As he lifted up his right hand, an icy mist issued forth as the Overlord Bow coalesced in his hands.
Looking at the bow, Mu En's eyes lit up. "What a good bow! The lines, the strength, the patterns, and even the feel of Heavenly Energy from it. This should be specially made for Strength Heavenly Jewel Masters, and is definitely extremely powerful. When you have a few more sets of Jewels, I wonder what power will this Bow have. What is its name?"
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Overlord Bow." He was 14 years old this year, and it could be said that the happiest years of his life were the ones he had spent with Mu En. At that time, he did not know that Mu En was a powerful Jewel Master from the Heavenly Bow Unit, and they had spent the time eating, drinking and having fun, touring the world. Of course, this was under Admiral Zhou's restrictions, otherwise, visiting prostitutes and gambling would have been added to the list of fun.
"Overlord Bow? 'Forcing yourself onto someone?'1 What a dirty name."
Zhou Weiqing was struck speechless: "Teacher, it's your thinking that is dirty!"
Mu En rolled his eyes and said: "Come to my room, and tell me what has happened over the past year. I really cannot imagine how your cultivation shot up four levels and even Awakened your Heavenly Jewels so quickly."
Zhou Weiqing said: "Teacher, it's five levels. I'm your disciple, how can I not be as genius as you are?"
Mu En thought about it for a second, and nodded his head in satisfaction, saying: "That makes a lot of sense, alright, at least you have some measure of my genius."
As they entered Mu En's wooden house, Zhou Weiqing saw that it was a terrible mess. The walls were all lined with pictures of naked beauties, and some of them even had the signs of mottled spots. 2
It took a while for Zhou Weiqing to find a relatively clean place to sit, and he told Mu En all about the past year. Towards his respected teacher, he naturally did not hide anything.
After listening to his tale, and examining the Alexandrite Cat's Eye, Mu En asked Zhou Weiqing to show some of his Stored Skills, before finally believing it was all real.
"Damn! You little brat… your talent is just that little bit more than I, your father! No wonder, I saw that Bing'er was no longer a virgin, so it's you little brat who did it. Envy, Jealousy, hate!" Mu En's eyes rolled around in habit.
"Teacher, should I tell the rest what my Elemental Attributes are?" Zhou Weiqing asked.
Mu En immediately shook his head, a wicked look on his face as he grinned: "Why tell them? When the critical moment comes, perhaps we can give them a nice good surprise. You and Bing'er will be coming along with us for that mission, but it's mostly to observe. During that time, you just stay by my side. When we come back, I'll start teaching all my archery skills. Since you're already a Heavenly Jewel Master, there are many things you have to learn. Your teacher will definitely train you well."
"Teacher, can you not use the words Tiao Jiao 3 here? Oh yes, when are you going to bring me to the lady baths to peep once again, and to the inns and pubs to train our eyesight and estimate 'cup sizes'? Oh right, the last time we stole someone's chicken and barbequed it, that was an amazing taste that I can never forget up till now! You still haven't thought me how to season and cook that!"
"Also, teacher, I realised that, my taste has started to differ from yours… I think now that girls with larger hips are more beautiful…"
"What do you understand! It isn't that they must be larger, but they need to be well flared up. You still have many many things to learn brat…"
If there was a phrase to describe Mu En as a teacher, it would be 'One and Only' indeed.
Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er were both assigned to a small wooden house each. In the Heavenly Bow Unit, they had to take care of their own food, and there weren't any servants or the like. Of course, without question, Zhou Weiqing was the one preparing for Shangguan Bing'er as well; and with a disciple here now, how could Mu En not take advantage as well, and Zhou Weiqing thus had yet another person to prepare food for.
Zhou Weiqing saw that the other members of the Heavenly Bow Unit usually stayed in their own rooms, although Luo Ke Di left in the afternoon once again, likely headed out to drink once more. Mu En was in his own room, not knowing if he was looking at the pictures on the wall and 'training his hands', or was he cultivating Heavenly Energy.
As for Zhou Weiqing, he spent most of his time working hard and cultivating his Heavenly Energy. This was not to say that Zhou Weiqing was very hardworking, but it was just that having so many awesome skills and yet not sufficient Heavenly Energy to sustain them all, it was just too painful a thing. Furthermore, he could clearly feel that the cultivation speed of the Immortal Deity Technique was double his previous speed ever since he broke through the first portion, as the five energy whirlpools drew in energy at a rate that normal Heavenly Jewel Masters could not compare with.
No matter what, Zhou Weiqing still had fear in his heart regarding the Immortal Deity Technique. It just hurt so much every time he broke through a Death Acupuncture Point, and it was just luck that he had the energy from the black pearl earlier. Alas, starting on this Immortal Deity Technique was like boarding a pirate ship, now he could only hope to complete it as soon as possible and break through all 36 Death Acupuncture Points, after all, it was better to get the pain over with as soon as possible. This was one of the reasons why he was so enthusiastic about training and cultivating.
At this moment, Zhou Weiqing, Shangguan Bing'er and Mu En were sitting around a pot of Zhou Weiqing's soup, which contained the bamboo and other unique vegetables from the Stars Forest.
"Little Wei, this little white tiger of yours, does it really not need to eat?" Mu En glanced at the Little White Tiger which was lazing in Zhou Weiqing's lap. He did not know whether or not the little thing was really a Heavenly Beast, but he told Zhou Weiqing that even if it were so, it was still a youngling, and it wouldn't grow up without dozens of years. Of course, rearing it as a pet was still fine.
Zhou Weiqing munched upon the bamboos that he had just dug up, and said: "I don't know what's going on either, but this little thing keeps going strong even without eating. I'll just leave it be."
Mu En's eyes revealed a hint of curiosity: "Strange. If it isn't a Heavenly Beast, then it would have died long ago without eating. Yet, if it's a Heavenly Beast, I have never even heard of such a white coloured tiger. Could it be a skin disease?"
"What?! Could that be?" Zhou Weiqing eyed the little white tiger with an unfriendly look, as if he was about to throw it off its lap in fear of some transferable disease.
The little white tiger seemed to sense its incoming danger, shaking its head cutely, and roaring at Mu En.
"Eh, this little thing is very intelligent! It seems to know what I said. Little Wei, if this little thing is really a Heavenly Beast, then you have really gotten lucky! The higher the rank of the Heavenly Beast, the more intelligent it is. Alas, this little thing is still a youngling, otherwise, if it were a little bigger, you could use it as a steed."
When the little white tiger heard that, its little eyes widened and it even stopped shaking its head, as if saying: What, you mere humans dare to use me as a steed?
Mu En grinned and laughed, as he chewed on his tobacco pipe, causing Shangguan Bing'er to look down quickly to prevent herself from losing her appetite.
"Little Wei, if this little thing is really a Heavenly Beast, and a King of the beasts, tiger type Heavenly Beast, then it is likely to be at least Zong Stage and above. Treat it well, and even if you aren't able to use it, perhaps your kids will be able to."
"Mu En Senior, what are you saying!" Shangguan Bing'er flushed in embarrassment, giving Zhou Weiqing a little kick before running out with her bowl.
Mu En said contently: "She'll get used to it. Heh, Little Wei, how about I ask Hua Feng to let me have her as a disciple as well, to learn together with you."
"What? No, no, no, teacher, you're so great and strong, with such amazing abilities that even the gods and devils fear, how can you easily teach others?! I want to be your only disciple, and never share it with anyone, not even my wife! Those are our heritage secrets!" What a joke, how could he possibly let Shangguan Bing'er learn from his Scoundrel teacher… Heavens! What if she became a female scoundrel, then he wouldn't need to live anymore. Although Hua Feng was a homosexual, but that's a lot better than this perverted old man here! Instantly, Zhou Weiqing felt that homosexuals were so great! Although he was in love with his dad, at least it was very safe to have his wife learning from Hua Feng! Safety first!
The next day, as dawn broke, Zhou Weiqing was swatted awake by Mu En. Even with his strong senses, he did not know how Mu En entered his room without him discovering.
"Good morning teacher, so early?" Zhou Weiqing had cultivated for most of the night while lying down, and only started sleeping not long ago as the position was too comfortable, and as a result he was still rather sleepy. "Don't talk rubbish, get up quickly, we're leaving after breakfast." Mu En grabbed the quilt off Zhou Weiqing.
Zhou Weiqing had no choice but to clamber off the bed, and only then did he realise that Mu En was dressed very differently from yesterday. Decked out in a grey outfit, he no longer looked like the lazy and mischievous old man of yesterday, looking full of energy and vitality.
Zhou Weiqing quickly dressed himself and followed Mu En into the courtyard, seeing that Mu En had already prepared breakfast, and the rest were all in the courtyard eating. As his eyes fell upon Shangguan Bing'er, he saw that she was already neatly dressed; her original Purple Dawn Bow had disappeared, and she was now shouldering a smaller green bow. The Purple Dawn Bow was considered a longbow, and was rather large, but the new green bow she had was almost half the size of the Purple Dawn Bow.
Mu En gave him a tap on the head, saying: "You do not need to look any further, that's what Hua Feng gave to the little girl. He sure is generous, that Green Spirit Bow is light and has an extremely high firing rate, and is definitely one of the best bows for a Wind Attribute Jewel Master, a lot better than the large and heavy Purple Dawn Bow.
Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Teacher, look at Senior Hua Feng, so generous even for a welcoming gift… I've followed you for at least 2 years, shouldn't you give me a good bow as well?"
Mu En gave a humph and said: "Hua Feng is rich, but I, Your Father, is very poor, even if I have money, it's all spent on your temporary Shi Mu 4. En… Little Wei, let teacher give you a life lesson right now, how to depend on yourself!"
Zhou Weiqing had just scooped a mouth of soup into his mouth, and on hearing his teacher's words, he almost sprayed it all out. He thought to himself: Huyan Master is already considered a miser, it seems like this master is comparable or even worse…
Chapter 115: Stars Rating (1)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Although Mu En did not give his little rogue disciple any welcoming gifts, but when the group left the Heavenly Bow Unit, Zhou Weiqing still got a change in gear, and his original Purple Dawn Bow had been swapped for a huge black bow. The Purple Dawn Bow was already considered rather large, almost 1.5m long, but the black bow he was carrying now was almost 2 metres long! It was definitely a large contrast with the small Green Spirit Bow of Shangguan Bing'er.
Naturally, the large black bow was given to Zhou Weiqing by Luo Ke Di. Although he loved to drink and was roguish in nature, but he definitely kept his word. However, what made Zhou Weiqing rather gloomy was that the large black bow was almost 80 jin in weight, almost four times that of the Purple Dawn Bow! The draw the bow, was not much easier than his Overlord Bow, and even with his current strong physique boosted by his Strength Physical Jewel, he still needed to circulate a bit of Heavenly Energy and release his Physical Jewel before he could draw the bow to its maximum.
Mu En told Zhou Weiqing that the bow was called Black Dawn Bow, and was not sold anywhere. It was made from thousand year Stars Wood, and it had the greatest shooting range amongst all bows except those Consolidated Equipments. It was also good for training and building up strength, endurance and overall physique.
Luckily, they were not traveling by foot, and as they headed out, Hua Feng brought them to a luxurious and grand looking horse carriage which was now parked outside, though Zhou Weiqing did not know when that had happened. The carriage was more than twice the size of an ordinary horse carriage, and was adorned with gilded gold and jade on the outside, with lavish decorations, seemingly a little vulgar, and it was harnessed to 4 large horses.
Within the horse carriage, the four walls were lined with an unknown fur rugs, and the large spacious seats were almost like sofas, sitting in them felt so soft yet sturdy, and they were extremely comfortable. Such a horse carriage could even seat at least a dozen people easily and in comfort.
"Teacher, you all are too extravagant, how much does this horse carriage cost?" Although Zhou Weiqing said that, he was practically drooling at the sight. Such a comfortable and luxurious horse carriage, if he could own it and travel the world with several beauties, that would be the best thing in the world, even though the exterior was rather overdone.
Hearing Zhou Weiqing mention the horse carriage, Mu En couldn't help but have a indignant look on his face. "This horse carriage isn't ours, it's Hua Feng, that fellow's personal property. Do you think we can sit on it for free? That miserly fellow will collect payment depending on the distance traveled, and every time we go on a mission, at least a fifth of our cuts go to him."
Hua Feng was sitting deep in the carriage, and as he heard Mu En's words, he gave a humph. "Old scoundrel, don't you have a conscience when you speak? Isn't it more than worth your while to travel in my horse carriage? After all, it's constructed out of titanium alloy, and even has a shock absorption system installed, not only is it much faster than us when traveling long distances, but its comfort allows us focus our energies on the mission itself. Furthermore, my additional cut is not just for the horse carriage fees, but also the other consumables for the mission. If you guys are willing to take charge of those, I don't mind."
Mu En turned his head around in a huff, while Luo Ke Di, who was lounging back with a wine bottle in hand, said: "Enough, old scoundrel, you are your beloved disciple already conned me so much, and I, Your Father, didn't even complain so much."
Mu En gave him a thwack on his head, saying: "Little Rogue, you're the youngest here. Whose father are you?!"
Luo Ke Di said in anger: "Bullshit, such smelly bullshit! Isn't your disciple a human? Isn't Boss Hua Feng's disciple a human? Are they older than me?"
The silent Han Mo looked coldly at Luo Ke Di and chimed in: "If you keep making noise, I'll throw you out!"
Luo Ke Di said exasperatedly: "It was old scoundrel who started it and taunted me. Why don't you throw him out?"
Han Mo said passively: "I can't beat him, but I can beat you. A single hand cannot clap after all, and if I throw you out, that'll be sufficient."
"Hmph, taking advantage of the weak and scared of the strong. Little Mo Mo, I'll remember you." Luo Ke Di had a gloomy look on his face as he gulped down more wine, but he quietened down.
The horse carriage had a specialised carriage driver, who seemed to be around 40 years of age with a honest look. Every four hours of travel, they would stop for a while to rest their horses, and would only travel a total of 14-16 hours a day. However, Hua Feng was not exaggerating; although they were traveling long distances, sitting in this horse carriage was so comfortable that it was even an enjoyable trip. Furthermore, there was a hidden compartment under the carriage, storing a large amount of all sorts of food, drinks and arrows.
One time, Zhou Weiqing had accidently knocked onto the walls of the carriage, and he had realised that even if he used his Overlord Bow to shoot, he might not even be able to penetrate the thick titanium alloy construction of the horse carriage. He could barely imagine how much it cost to build this horse carriage, and couldn't help but rejoice to himself – anyway he and Bing'er did not have any cut from the mission and thus would not be reduced any further, so they naturally were having the ride for free.
As for what the mission they were heading to do was, no one had explained it to them. The only thing that Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er knew vaguely, was that it was somewhere in the borders of the Fei Li Empire.
In just seven days, by sitting in this luxurious horse carriage, they had reached the borders of the Heavenly Bow Empire and Fei Li Empire. As the horse carriage traveled ahead, they quickly entered a mountain valley. Although there was a road cut into the valley, it was rather small. The previous time Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had entered Fei Li Empire, they had not traveled this path, but another even smaller road which was somewhat closer. However, with their horse carriage, they had no choice but to traverse this path which was just large enough for them to pass. At the moment, Zhou Weiqing had his eyes closed as he cultivated his Heavenly Energy. All of a sudden, he heard loud neighs as the horses reared up, along with the cries of the carriage driver, before the carriage came to a screeching halt.
Hua Feng opened his eyes slowly, and without even looking outside, he said to Mu En: "Old scoundrel, business is here, you can bring Little Wei along with you."
Mu En's eyes brightened, and he grinned as he said: "I will not reject such a good offer. Little Wei, come let's go."
The other members revealed an indignant look, even including the normally expressionless Han Mo. Luo Ke Di gave an ingratiating look as he said to Mu En: "Old scoundrel, don't you need some help from your buddy?"
Mu En glared at him and said: "Help your sister… 1." To which Luo Ke Di replied with a middle finger.
Zhou Weiqing was full of questions as he got off the carriage together with Mu En: "Teacher, what's going on?"
Mu En said with a big grin: "It's our opportunity to make money! Hua Feng has given us a lot of face, it probably counts as a welcoming present for you. This boss of ours, he is as shrewd and astute as a devil. Why do you think he made the exterior of the horse carriage look so luxurious and vulgar? There is a reason for that."
Just as Mu En finished speaking, there came a loud shout from the front. "HALT! This mountain is open by me, these trees are planted by me, if you want to cross this road, leave a toll; if not, you'll have to face death!" 2
"Bandits?" Zhou Weiqing was an intelligent person, and he quickly understood the underlying meaning behind Mu En's words. They were unexpectedly using the luxurious horse carriage to draw the attention of bandits and robbing them in return. Such an idea… only this bunch of weirdos could come up with it…
As the two of them exited the carriage, they saw that the front of the road had been blocked by a large group of bandits, numbering more than 20, all of whom were holding weapons. On the side of the mountains, there were another dozen or so bandits holding bows and arrows pointed at them. These bandits were all dressed in blue, and their leader was even dressed in splint mail, and they were definitely an organised group.
The bandit leader seemed to be around 40 years of age, with a large knife held in his hands. "You guys sure have the guts to cross our Light Breeze Mountain Ridge with just a horse carriage! As the saying goes, leaving others with some space, to get some leeway in the future 3. If you want to live, leave half your valuables in the carriage, while the other half you can carry away. You'll have to leave the horses and the carriage though, they now belong to I, Your Father.
Mu En gave a miserable look, moving his trembling body forth a few steps and saying with a pleading expression: "This bandit big brother, look at us, old and young alike, without this horse carriage, how can we possibly travel! Please do us a favour, let us through please, you can have half of our belongings, but we really need the carriage."
The bandit leader's face changed: "Dammit, who are you calling big brother? I, your father, will beat you to death for that! You're older than me by at least 20 years old and you dare call me brother? Am I that old huh?"
Zhou Weiqing was observing from the side, and could clearly sense Mu En's breathing grow rapid, his humble appearance changing swiftly. Zhou Weiqing grinned in his heart, knowing that his teacher hated being called old. "Little brat! Those in front are yours, I'll take those on the side."
"However, leave that one for me, I want to take care of him personally. Let's go!" Mu En was enraged by the bandit leader and didn't want to continue acting any further.
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Alright." As he said that, he had already taken off the Black Dawn Bow from his back, swiftly circulating his Heavenly Energy and releasing his Heavenly Jewels. Nocking an arrow, he quickly drew the tough Black Dawn Bow to a full crescent, pointing it to the front.
The bandit leader started, he had never expected this pair, one old and one young, to dare resist. "Kill them!"
The bandits on the side of the mountain started firing their arrows, but at that moment, Mu En moved. Zhou Weiqing also released his arrow at the same time.
*Swoosh* like a black bolt of lightning, the arrow flew out. The arrogant bandit leader felt a wave of heat pass by his ears, and a flash of pain at his earlobes, and 4 of the bandits beside him fell. The arrow pierced through the four and continued flying off into the distance.
Even Zhou Weiqing was startled by the sheer power of the Black Dawn Bow; just counting the range and the penetrating power, it was almost as strong as his Overlord Bow.
At this point, arrows were raining down upon them, focused on Mu En and Zhou Weiqing. Mu En moved at the same time, and before Zhou Weiqing could even see anything clearly, he saw a grey blur shimmer around him, and Mu En reappeared once more with more than 20 arrows in his hands.
Chapter 116: Stars Rating (2)
Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Mu En's hands seemed to blur as he just seemed to fling the arrows out randomly. However, it was as if the arrows had eyes, and screams rang out along the mountainside. The dozen or so bandit archers lining both sides all perished, with an arrow in their throat. The bandit archers were about 50 yards from where they stood, and were on higher ground; Mu En only gave a casual throw of the arrows and had struck over 20 targets with such accuracy, the level of difficulty was just too high!
This was the first time Zhou Weiqing had seen his teacher attack, and he couldn't help but stare, dumbfounded.
*Poof*, A kick landed on Zhou Weiqing's buttock, as Mu En said exasperatedly: "What are you staring at!? Are you trying to get killed? Go deal with the bunch in front, if anyone escapes you won't get a cut! You're not allowed to use arrows!" As he said that, the Black Dawn Bow which was in Zhou Weiqing's hands a moment ago suddenly disappeared and reappeared in Mu En's hands.
It was only at this point that the bandits on the road awoke to the situation; even the most foolish person would have realised by now that this horse carriage was not an easy target at all. The bandit leader ignored the burning pain in his ear, and gave a strained shout: "Run, sound the alarm!" Saying that, he turned tail and fled. The group of bandits were clearly experienced in fleeing, and they scattered off in all directions, with hardly a single one headed together.
Having been given the reminder by Mu En, Zhou Weiqing slammed his right foot on the ground and shot forward. He knew that Mu En did not allow him to use his bow and arrow in order to test his close combat skills in an actual battle. Even if he did not mind losing face, he did not want to throw his father's face either! As he thought of that, Zhou Weiqing felt his blood boil as excitement surged through him.
As soon as his right leg struck the ground, there was an explosion, startling even Mu En. As Zhou Weiqing's body flew off like an arrow, his speed actually caused Mu En to reveal a surprised expression.
Almost instantly, Zhou Weiqing had caught up to two bandits; the bandits were at best of equal physique to ordinary soldiers and could hardly compare to a Heavenly Jewel Master like him. With each hand grabbing hold of a bandit's neck, he slammed their heads together, causing them to lose consciousness. Almost at the same time, his body vaulted forward, and his left hand struck out, shooting forth a black light which flew forth like a bolt of black lightning, heading towards the majority of the bandits. His body flashed away again in the other direction, with the sheer explosive power of his Demonic Right Leg, he caught up with bandit after bandit, throwing their unconscious bodies back to where Mu En was. As for the black light, it was naturally the Touch of Darkness, which had by now bound over a dozen bandits and brought them together. Only the bandit leader was fast enough to reach the mountains.
Of course, Zhou Weiqing couldn't possibly let him off, and with another burst of speed, he surged forth towards the bandit leader.
As if he had eyes on the back of his head, the bandit leader suddenly kicked savagely to the right while running, causing his body to spin around in a surprising turn, the large knife in his hands twirling towards Zhou Weiqing viciously. From the strength of the blow and the whistling sound it made as it cut through the air, it was clear that it held some Heavenly Energy. The bandit leader was at the cultivation level of the second level of Heavenly Energy, though he hadn't Awakened his Power Jewels, it was still this strength that allowed him to become the leader of the bandits. Alas, this time, he had met an actual Heavenly Jewel Master.
The large knife had only closed half the distance to Zhou Weiqing when a green light flashed, and the bandit leader found that he was suddenly unable to move. The next instant, Zhou Weiqing had grabbed his collar, and with a surge of Heavenly Energy, this bandit leader who weighed at least 200 jin including his splint mail had been thrown all the way back 20 yards onto the path. Of course, it could not be forgotten that Zhou Weiqing had a pure Strength Physical Jewel.
From the time that Zhou Weiqing exploded into action, to the bandits being captured, it was barely the time taken to breathe 10 breaths of air. No matter Mu En or the other members in the carriage, no one had expected him to finish the battle so quickly.
Hua Feng's eyes lit up, looking at Zhou Weiqing contemplatively.
Zhou Weiqing returned to Mu En's side, saying: "Teacher, you guys are too evil, using the horse carriage to lure bandits, and robbing them instead."
At this time, Mu En was standing in front of the bandit leader, kicking him repeatedly as he muttered: "Calling me old? Calling me old…" Zhou Weiqing stood at the side with his mouth twitching. So vicious!
"Spare me, please spare me lords…" The bandit leader cried out shrilly, trying to resist but he couldn't garner the strength to do so. Zhou Weiqing's Fetters of Wind was not something that an ordinary person could easily handle.
Mu En looked over at the dozen or so bandits bound at the side, and said: "Little brat, the first skill you stored for your Darkness Attribute, it's the Touch of Darkness?"
Zhou Weiqing said: "Teacher, you're so experienced and knowledgeable!"
Mu En said exasperatedly: "What bullshit knowledge, no wonder your old man sent you to the Heavenly Bow Unit. Don't you know that your father's eighth Jewel's Skill is that Touch of Darkness? He likely doesn't have the face to teach you personally. Hahaha, Old Zhou also has such a day, hahaha, now you can officially be a member of us Paradise Strange, you're indeed a little weirdo!"
Turning to the bandit leader, Mu En grabbed him up and said: "Where is your lair?! Bring us there now."
In about an hour, a dozen bandits with ashen faces carried sacks of gold coins back to the carriage under Mu En and Zhou Weiqing's supervision, placing the sacks into the hidden compartment of the horse carriage. Before leaving, Mu En patted the bandit leader's face and said: "Remember! When you're in hell, collect more money before trying to rob us!"
In the next instant, Mu En shot out arrows viciously, finishing off all the bandits. "Teacher, they already gave us all their money, why still kill them?" Zhou Weiqing was still rather young after all, and seeing Mu En finishing them off in cold blood, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Mu En gave a humph: "What do you understand, do you think that we are the first targets of these bandits? If we did not have our abilities, what do you think would happen to us when they robbed us? These bandits deserve death more than ten times over."
As the pair returned to the carriage, Luo Ke Di moved over and asked: "Old scoundrel, how much did you earn this time?"
Mu En said exasperatedly: "These poor bastards, we only got less than a hundred thousand gold coins. Without a Jewel master, how strong can these bandits be? Hopefully we get lucky and meet another bunch of bandits later."
Hua Feng said: "Don't complain, remember my 30% cut."
Mu En gave a humph and said: "You vampire!"
Hua Feng's mouth beamed in a graceful smile: "Without my horse carriage, with the way you look, do you think that bandits would even bother attacking you? Little Wei, your first skill for your Darkness Attribute is already the Touch of Darkness. Are you planning to go on the control route?"
Zhou Weiqing started and said: "What's the control route?"
The moment he asked that, Mu En couldn't help but cover his face and lean back in his chair. Gao Shen was so surprised that his eyes bulged out, while Luo Ke Di said: "Are you serious, Little Wei? As Admiral Zhou's son, you don't even know what's control? Who taught you about Heavenly Jewels?"
Shangguan Bing'er flushed and said: "I was the one who taught him. Admiral Zhou only just recently knew about his Heavenly Jewels Awakening, and did not have the opportunity to teach him at all before we came to the Heavenly Bow Unit."
Hua Feng said: "Simply put, when every Jewel Master is cultivating, they will choose a path that is suited to their Attributes. For example, a fire attribute Elemental Jewel Master will almost always go for on a more offensive route, while a wind attribute Elemental Jewel Master will normally choose to a more nimble or flexible attacking patterns, which is what we call agility attacks. When I mentioned control route, it means focusing on controlling enemies on the battlefield, restricting their movements and attacks. Your Touch of Darkness is a classic control skill, with an additional effect of improving senses and other benefits. I do not know how you managed to successfully Store it, but I have to say I have never seen such a good first Skill."
Zhou Weiqing said: "Leader, I have never been able to understand how the Stored Skills and Consolidated Equipment are classified, don't they all improve and evolve as the number of Jewels increase?"
Hua Feng said gently: "There are differences of course; no matter Consolidated Equipment or Stored Skills, they are classified according to their worth, and that is determined by several factors. First of all, is their growth factor. You are right that all skills will improve as the amount of Jewels increase. However, they do have differing rates of improvement, and the when a Jewel is added, a Skill could have a huge difference in how it evolves. For example, if you Store a Skill from a Shi Stage Heavenly Beast, when it evolves, it increases at a rate of 1, while a Zun Stage Heavenly Beast's skill might increase at the rate of 2, Zong Stage at the rate of 4, and so on so forth. As such, the Skill Storing Palaces have come up with a Stars Rating for Consolidate Equipment and Stored Skills, to determine how strong they are depending on how many stars they are assigned. Of course, the stronger the skill, the more stars they have; the lowest being 1 star, and the highest 12 stars."
"Taking your Touch of Darkness as an example, it would be considered a 8 Star skill by the Skill Storing Palaces. In general, Shi Stage Heavenly Beasts' Skills are from 1-3 Stars, Zun Stage Beasts 4-6 Stars, Zong Stage Beasts 7-9 Stars. As for the Skills above 9 Stars, only Heavenly Jewel Masters will be able to get them. The general consensus is that you are usually able to Store Skills of a similar Star rating as your number of Jewels, or you might not be able to fully express your strength. To actually Store a 8 Star Skill when you only have one set of Jewels, it is something that we have never heard of previously."
"Furthermore, when we are rating skills, control skills generally are considered 1 Star higher than Skills of the same rank. As such, although the Touch of Darkness is an 8 Star skill, it is still comparable to some of the 9 Star Skills. This is also the same for Consolidated Equipment, those which have sockets are usually given an additional Star rating as well. It can also be said that the Star Rating of a Jewel Master's skills are also what we use to determine the person's future talent and possibilities."