The shacks owners, although superior in the outer suburb were under heavy restrictions. Assigned to rule as watchdogs They could not just start fights and could only fight challengers, or higher ranked owners. In return they had the spiritual rich shacks and were served with food not much worse than beyond the inner gates. The shacks themselves were also rather safe, as anyone who stepped inside without permission would be heavily punished. They would also get periodization in choosing missions.
Outside the examination, Zhen Xinyue was satisfied. Finally, being able to release his full power.
He casted a last look at his domination. In joy he counted the kill streak. To his surprise the number did not add up to all followed cleaners.
"Huh, did I miss someone? Where is that girl?" After the race ended, he was delighted by Jun Din's demise, uninterested in the real winner. This was the first time afterwards that he thought of her. Her presence was very mysterious and unnoticeable, easy to miss if not focused on.
***
Meanwhile, Hong Luo Si was standing in front of a 3-story tall pagoda, which had been mentioned as the book collection building by Xinyue. She had dismissed herself from the rest before entering the living room.
"Hey cleaner!" A thinned teenager screamed at her from the side. He was just about to detach himself from his colleges and enter the book pagoda as well.
He pulled up a stick, similar to her own and pointed at it. "You need to have one of these if you want to go inside that building. I will be magnanimous this time and give this incense stick of time to you for measly 200 merit points."
His friends snickering behind him. "Chuo, don't be so mean to the newbies. For 200 merits you can easily buy 4."
Yet before he finished his offer, Luo Si pulled out her own. Passing the suddenly frozen boy band nonchalant and entered the building. "Thanks, but I have my own."
Chuo stammered. "H-How does she have an inner stick? Did she not just arrive here?"
The two in one incense stick started burning the moment Luo Si stepped foot into the pagoda, as if it was magic. Luo Si stopped for a moment.
"Hmm?" The moment her stick started to burn, she felt something touch her soul. It felt more like a needle, but her soul, hardened to the point of steel, deflected the unwelcomed guest unbothered.
Luo Si did not pay any heed and looked around. The inside looked different to the village library. Compared to the cubed shaped library, the pagoda was penta-sided. With every store upwards the space narrowed and so did the choice of books. The only source of light being mosaic constructed windows, colored in different tones from blue to full transparent.
(Seemingly random… cough cough)
Aside from that there was a bright crystal hanging from the upmost ceiling, lightening the burdened eyes.
Luo Si walked up to a big hand-drawn painting, hanging down on the wall to her left.
Surrounded by blue she figured the uneven ringed layers on the inside to be forming an island. Words were written all over the island. Some, like Min village, 3rd Sun Ray and Kingdom made it pretty clear that what she was looking at was a map. More specifically said, the whole continent she was standing on.
"It has been such a long time; I cannot remember how tiny this place was. It's not even a grain of sand on the beach anyway."
When she read the name of a crossed-out town, going by Bing village', she touched her chest. Remembering the iced woman in the well she mumbled, "Since you have given me something precious, I shall return the favor and honor your plea."
"Lassie, if you want to stay around dazing off, do that somewhere else." An unhealthy eldered voice brought Luo Si to her senses. She had taken a breath to impart the map.
Only now did she realize, that she was standing in front of a fortified wooden desk. The receptionist and the gathered youth around her had gone impatient of her behavior.
"Yes." She answered unfazed by the glares and continued on. "I am in search of knowledge improving concealment." The veil's flaws had not escaped her mind.
"Oh, mademoiselle looks for the hidden art I see." The old man went along. "3RD PASSAGE 4TH SHELF. Now take off before I confiscate your allowance. I don't know how you got an inner incense in your hands, but outer discipline, especially cleaners cannot enter the 2nd floor with that anyway."
Violent coughs*
His threat fell on deaf ears, as Luo Si had already left after receiving the location.
'Silent cricket', 'Cat's 7 toes', 'Crouching tiger, hidden dragon'
'By the jade emperor, who comes up with such stupid names?' Pained and embarrassed of looking at any more titles, she grabbed the book with the least awkward name available.
'Ghostly breath. Conceal your existence, even to the undead.' Reading the description, she sat down. "At least something I can work with."
Luo Si was about to open the book when she reached out to her left instantly without a warning. "Gotcha! !?" Her reaction was fast, but whatever she had grabbed onto dissolved a millisecond later as if it had never existed in the first place. Knowing that it was something targeting her soul, she had grabbed onto it with hers. Still, the short instance had told her enough. At first it was a needle, but this time it was as big as a knife. It wasn't threatening to her soul though.
Not wanting to cause a scene she said to herself. "I don't have time to play games. I will gift Yama your soul if you plan on testing my patients any further."
A meager girl standing not to far retorted in shock. "Crazy bitch, nobody wants to play games with you."
She was shut up with one of Luo Si's menacing glares until 2 books fell out of the shelves, making the innocent run away in fear with her book in hands.
Luo Si picked up the books and read their titles- 'Omniscient eye' and 'King of gods.' She nodded, putting the books back in place assured of the message. "Good, I will not pursuit this matter and leave it as a warning."
Hah*
Luo Si breathed out after contemplating. Having gone through the whole book was not the problem and she had not experienced any problems later on. Yet she felt like her stalker was still eyeing from an unknown source. The creepy feeling made her very uncomfortable.
Finishing the quick review, she came to the conclusion that the skill was at least a high tier skill book. What had surprised her more was the fact that she had taken not even ¾ of an incense stick of time. "I could have done so much more if I had known my soul was a problem. No, I cannot act like a pig. If I hadn't figured it out prior, would still walk in the dark who knows how long."
The frightened girl returned a while later, wanting to put the book back. However, when a whole row of them fell to the ground she screamed up, running past the reception and threw it at the desk.
"Kids, that's why I hate them." He looked up and said to himself like Luo Si did. "Bring this book back, will' ya? My back is killing me"
The book floated up, as if ordered by an omniscient being, but hit the elders head the next second.
Chocking on the cough and hit combination the receptionist became angry. "Aua, which hornist's nest did you prick?" His question was answered with a pulled back chair, letting him drop on the floor. "Alright, alright. I will do it myself. Surrounded by nothing but kids. No respect." He grumblingly picked up the book and made his way, exploding at the passages sight.