A few hours later.
Fan Lin was sleeping on the newly grown grassland when a figure landed beside him.
"Wake up."
She waited for a few seconds thinking he would wake up after her words but he didn't. She checked his body's vital signs and found none, as was usual and synonymous with Fan Lin.
'Now how do I discern if he isn't actually dead and just sleeping?'
She nudged him a few more times with increasing force but to no results.
"Should I throw him in the ocean or something?"
She took another look at him sleeping soundly.
"And why is he still wearing this ? Why is he sleeping in the open? Why is he sleeping? He should meditate, that's far more effective."
Dozens of questions in her mind at the sight that she was seeing, she continued to stared at his sleeping face for a few more minutes thinking that he might sense her presence and wake up.
'His spirit sea is frozen at the moment.'
'How?'
She looked at the watchers that are supposed to be watching him and got a small briefing about his event today before her arrival.
He has finished his work, had a small chat with the Holy Angel Douluo when he had came in to report about the completion of the reforestation with the grassland that they were currently at being the last site.
She glanced at him again. He still hasn't woke up.
"How can even he sleep soundly in the open after all the things he had revealed about himself? ...Princess syndrome? That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense."
She whispered while proceeding to take out some kind of bottle gourd and poured some sort of watery liquid on the sleeping Fan Lin who now calmly opened his eyes as the first drop of water touched his skin.
He focused his gaze through the trickling water(?) and onto the perpetrator and saw Leng Yaozhu. She met his gaze with an equal calmness and continued pouring the liquid.
"What happened to your soul communicator? I couldn't reach out to you." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Enough woman." [Fan Lin]
He calmly float up to stand and began to wipe the water from his chest area before checking if it was actually water or not. Meanwhile he stored the bottle gourd and singled the watchers to leave.
(Considering the clothes that he was wearing, I found it extremely unbefitting of myself to write breast area and I could have written 'from his clothes' but that wouldn't explain where he was drenched and this information was crucial later on. So chest area it is)
(Now that I am reading it again, I don't think there was a reason to use the Author note to explain my thoughts to you)
"What were you doing here?" [Leng Yaozhu]
She asked him, now sensing the emergence of spiritual activities in his spirit sea but there was still no signs of vital brain and heart activities. His body, on a deeper level... felt empty.
'Why are so many unexplainable abnormalities emerging from him?'
"I was sleeping." [Fan Lin]
He apathetically answered while checking the date and time wondering if he had been out for a while without his knowledge again.
"Like this? In the open? Wearing... what you are wearing? Isn't that just inviting trouble to yourself? Why didn't you wake up when I tried nudging you then? If I was an Evil Soul Master, wouldn't you be dead by now?" [Leng Yaozhu]
He looked her dead in eye at her questioning and calmingly stated.
"Considering my status, if I were to be killed by an Evil Soul Master near the Naval office of the Holy Angel Douluo and THE naval base of the Southern Army Corps while having Spirit Pagoda's hidden protection, shouldn't you be ashamed of yourselves then?"
"How I am the one to be blamed? Why?"
"I sincerely don't understand where you get the confidence to taunt me in my presence, and at your strength level. I truly don't." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Sorry for that then. Wasn't the entourage going to land 28th? Why are you here a day before then?" [Fan Lin]
Leng Yaozhu didn't care for the next part of his words.
Her mind went to the 'Sorry for that then' and stopped at that. She stared at him, wondering what he was planning because from what they knew, polite speech from Fan Lin meant that he was planning something and wants to be your good side since you are the one he is trying to get something off.
(Source- Former Outer courtyard Headmaster)
"That's not the tone or attitude of the boy who was blatantly threatening me to do his bidding." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Looks like you were right then, there really seems to be some mental corruption to your spirit. You are acting totally differently, not unlike what we know. I think we should have a deep check-up on your psyche. I am here a day earlier. We should have plenty of time for it."
"No. I just apologized since I don't want you to suddenly tear me into two because of something I said on a whim. You can't hurt me when you are on the other side of the world but~ a hand's distance is an entirely different situation."
He said, breaking the emotionless visage and with hints of innocence in his words and expressions.
Leng Yaozhu stared at him solemnly till he returned to his emotionless face.
"The lack of fear in your eyes seems to point otherwise. Have you been hiding yourself for your entire life? Or did you somehow get another currently unexplainable mental disorder in the last event?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"I don't know. Let's not delve into that for now and plan on what I had asked your presence for. On that note, did you leave your entourage and flew your way to me?" [Fan Lin]
"That was some praiseworthy conviction that you have shown to follow my words." [Fan Lin]
He spoke, his voice having emotions that his face didn't. He voice felt ecstatic and excited at the prospect that she was here.
'Maybe I was right. He does have the princess syndrome!'
'And he most likely doesn't know of it.'
"So what are you planning and what do I need to do?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"Did you tell anyone that I called you to come here or that you are here due to me?" [Fan Lin]
"Just Yun Ming. He also asked to return this to you. Your soul communicator wasn't not responding. He had something he had wanted to ask you." [Leng Yaozhu]
She said while taking out a storage ring and passing it to him.
"Yun Ming is an exception and I broke my soul communicator. What was he going to talk though?"
He took the ring and checked the content. It's the dress that he had given Yun Ming for Na Er.
"I thought it would be burned? Why did he return it to me though? There's nothing hidden in it." [Fan Lin]
"It's the wrong size. Ya Li made him return it... not my fault, blame Yun for that..." [Leng Yaozhu]
"What?" [Fan Lin]
"Ask him yourself later on." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Ok."[Fan Lin]
"I should have accounted her malnourished self as the basis. It must have been big for her. She was quite tiny for her age to begin with." [Fan Lin]
He remembered the stick like Na Er during her kindergarten years and realized the err of his judgement.
"But this isn't the storage ring that I gave. Not that I am asking him to return it or anything but the one that I delivered the stuff was 20x30x15 in dimensions. This one is barely 1. Whatever." [Fan Lin]
He fumbled with the clothes for a while before saying something that she never thought she would hear from his mouth.
"It's not been worn. Gu Yue must have given a new set."
'What?'
"What do you mean by that?" [Leng Yaozhu]
Leng Yaozhu, quite confused by the situation already, just ignored the added weirdity of him changing clothes.
"That Gu Yue must have given me a new set of her clothes." [Fan Lin]
"You got them from Gu Yue... and gave it to Yun Ming's adopted daughter?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"I asked Gu Yue for her clothes and gave it to Yun Ming's so that he can pass it to Na Er so that she could burn it." [Fan Lin]
"The more you are speaking, the weirder you are making it. So you asked and Gu Yue gave you a set of HER clothes?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"Yeah. What's weird about that?" [Fan Lin]
'A lot.'
"And then you gifted that clothing to Yun Ming's adopted daughter so that she could burn it?"
"Yes. I once promised her that I will give her a set of clothes when I have forgiven her." [Fan Lin]
"And why do you need Gu Yue's clothes then? Does she know what you were going to do with her clothes?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"A long time ago, I had gotten angry at Na Er and used a bit of violence on her and then broke her brother's legs a few days later." [Fan Lin]
"When I had calmed down a bit, I had went to clarify that I wasn't the one at fault and that I will give her the beautiful dress that she was talking about when she became older as the dress that she was talking about was for 10+ age group and won't fit her but she said that she will burn me along with the dress if I ever came in front of her." [Fan Lin]
'Why?'
"So I had spoken that I would provide her a seperate dress to burn because destroying things you like hurts later on and she will most likely regret it. Her mother asked me leave." [Fan Lin]
'He is rotten from his roots, isn't he?'
"... You know her actual parents?" [Leng Yaozhu]
Leng Yaozhu decided to change the topic instead of continuing further on. She didn't want to know about his story. He was not answering her questions. She didn't know if he was telling the truth or not and this wasn't the conversation that she had started.
She genuinely wanted to know why Gu Yue would even give her clothes to him. How did they even reached a conversation where he asked for it and she gave it to him? Just how close of a friendship do you even need to mutually talk about something like that?
And weren't they both quiet avoiding each other when she had left. She did appoint Fan Lin as Gu Yue's Mecha Designer instructor for a while but that should not lead to this. If it did then how?
'No wait, if it's this kid, I don't think he would hesitate to ask for something unreasonable even when you are meeting him for the first time. And Gu Yue and him did had a falling off due to some reason.'
'He could have somehow gotten the clothes. It's not that unusual if it's him.'
'Why now though?'
"No. She was adopted there as well. She is related to Gu Yue by the way. Her family to be "precise"."[Fan Lin]
"Huh?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"Later on that. Let's focus on what we have you here for." [Fan Lin]
A floating board was created with four different patterns on it: A grass, a spear, a pagoda and a book.
"Let's start then..."
With his words, the patterns began to shift and move with the book and grass getting to one group with the spear joining them later on and the pagoda being left behind, now facing the trio of the grass, book and spear.
"I am going to act like I am helping Qiangu Dongfeng but my true intentions are of a spy that has actually been in cahoots with Leng Yaozhu and Yun Ming and is planning Qiangu Dongfeng's demise." [Fan Lin]
''Isn't that what you are planning?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"Am I?" [Fan Lin]
'Why are you asking me?'
The grass had now went to the pagoda, seemingly joining his group.
"Qiangu Dongfeng had wanted me to reforest the areas near the Bright city for his conservation parks and hidden facilities after he got me under his wing. So I did just that even when I wasn't under his wings. I even added a gift and cleared away the inner layout and external pathways connecting all the hidden facilities through various networks so that they didn't need to clear the forest or cut trees to make pathways or dig underground. Everything was done and he just needed to start working." [Fan Lin]
"You hate him, right?" [Qiangu Dongfeng]
"I don't." [Fan Lin]
"And now I am going to do much more of his work, making his plans easier and more volatile. Letting him speed up his other plans which also includes the destruction one."
"Now this was the segment that I was going to do. There's actually a lot more but it's necessary to tell you that."
"Now what you have to do or were supposed to do. You have to suddenly show up just before I was going to leave for the leftover replantation in the west after my one day rest and talk to me for a while like we are having some serious conversation and then after a few minutes of our "conversation" I was going to reject you for the thing that you are asking me to do and flew off to do some reforestation in the west."
"And what am I supposed to do then?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"You are going to beg me to do something and I will reject you on your face again and leave while you will quietly look at me with rage." [Fan Lin]
"...I knew you are going to say something incredibly stupid sounding but let's hear you out. It's not like I haven't followed you despite your stupid sounding words for an entire three times." [Leng Yaozhu]
"You should not interrupt when someone's talking, that's not good." [Fan Lin]
"Would you like a mirror?" [Leng Yaozhu]
She passed a mirror to him.
"No. So we are going to act like you are trying to convince me for something and I reject you but you still pester me for a while and the end results are unknown but I have sudden change of plans different from what I had quoted and we have a sudden increase in our meetings." [Fan Lin]
"Then out of nowhere, I will one day call Qiangu Dongfeng and act edgy and propose to ease his workload a bit and say that I am ready to betray you for some profit and a decree of the President. A decree that only he has the power to pass at the moment."
"On other side, you are suddenly going to create a big distraction through me by announcing that I will be re-instating the Star Duo Forest in a while and I wasn't asking. I want it to be known by everyone at the top of the world but not a dime to the bottom or middle or high dwellers. Just the top." [Fan Lin]
"Meanwhile, I will try to get the decree, will do his work for free for the decree and even offer a great hidden service of mine to him that he won't be able resist even when he knows that I am after him, much less when he is just going to be doubtful of my true intentions or he may just be dumb or doesn't realize anything at all. Doesn't matter what the scenario, the moment I have thought of talking to him, he has been doomed." [Fan Lin]
"This here was a third of our segment or was supposed to be. A new change of plans had started because you were not supposed to be here now." [Fan Lin]
"The new plan is simple. You are going to stay with me and we are going to talk a lot. Lots and lots." [Fan Lin]
"And we are going to add Yun Ming to our chats in our chats as well." [Fan Lin]
"Qiangu Dongfeng wants conservation parks, right? To save the soul beasts and all." [Fan Lin ]
"You are Qiangu Dongfeng crush. Let's crush his feelings to oblivion then." [Fan Lin]
"Let's act like we are close. Let's act like we are planning for something. Let's act like I am sane and normal." [Fan Lin]
"Let's make him jealous. Let's once again awaken the feelings of loss that he must have felt when he realized that you were never going to his. Let's once again sow the seeds of infatuation in him. Let's give him hope. Let's take it away. Let's give him trauma. Let's show him that you still haven't gotten over your love. Let's rub it to his face. Let's break him till he can never recover. Let's destroy him bit by bit." [Fan Lin]
"Or till Gu Yue calls and asks for you." [Fan Lin]
"That would be the time for you to leave and for me to take the backstage. Jealous filled guys with one sided unfulfilled feelings can be quite crazy." [Fan Lin]
"I can see that. You don't hate him?" [Leng Yaozhu]
"I don't." [Fan Lin]
"Um-hmm." [Leng Yaozhu]
"Now that you are finished. What is the plan? Don't tell me that nonsense was your grand scheme and this is why you called me here for?" [Leng Yaozhu]
Leng Yaozhu stated. She said she will listen to his words. She did. She had remained silent and acted listened patiently and not that he was finished. She told him her thoughts on his plan. Now if he can somehow convince her to follow it, then it's his talent and her gullibility and Leng Yaozhu actually wanted to see how he was planning to do so in person.
"I didn't call you here. You came to me. Eight days ago, we just talked about Gu Yue and how much I have taught her. You care about her future a lot. She is your precious disciple." [Fan Lin]
The emotions in his voice vanished as he entered his emotionless state and said with a smile and a small tilt of head. Something that Gu Yue often did before attacking him with range attacks in anger/irritation/just because she felt like it.
"You think he will fall for something like this?" [Leng Yaozhu]
Leng Yaozhu continued as a sharp glint rose in her gaze. This was the tone that had blackmailed her to do his bidding three entire times! She is not going to forget that. Neither will she let him forget it.
"Too many things are going on at once. It's hard to keep up with the story. Adding emotional turmoil just makes it more harder to grasp the situation. Like what is going on at this point now. I might be underestimating myself if I said I didn't know." [Fan Lin]
(I know more and harder is wrong. I know)
"I am going to finish this continent's replantation in the next six months and then leave this continent. I want to end him before going. And this is the best plan fitting perfectly to the changes that had to be made due to your earliness." [Fan Lin]
"I can't increase my strength or I would have killed him by now. I am currently bindding myself to my will. Can't break them even if I want to. Nothing here is worth going against myself." [Fan Lin]
"Yun Ming is the one who is going to kill him Unfortunately he is also bound by the restraints of his his Seagod Pavilion Master position and can't act without a proper and inconcealable reasoning. I am going to create that scenario, in return, you will provide me his head." [Fan Lin]
"We all will win. I would be free of myself. You would be happy that he is happy and Yun Ming will save what he wanted to protect." [Fan Lin]
"It may seem like nonsense but that due to me wording it our poorly. I am going to stir the entire continent into confusion yet only a few will realize. The ones that I want."
"I also have other reasons on why I need you to be here, present in my sight, away from the Shrek city and the Spirit Pagoda Headquarters. The same remains true for Qiangu Dongfeng and all the Elders as well. None of you will be returning for a while. We are all going to follow the instructions. No one has any right to refuse."
"If I had no choice but to increase my strength, I am going to kill you, him and sink this continent because I am not in my good state of mind and I am not sure on whether I could keep this up long. I hate this world and even sharing the same sight as you all when I could have been alone makes me retch..."
"Hmmmmm. Let me sleep for another 6 hours . We will have this talk again. If I wake up on my own before that. Kill me. Try your best. Don't hold back."
He took out some vial, drank it, laid down and enter his "sleep" state.
Leng Yaozhu, left behind and not given any explanation, silently looked at him and chose to cultivate by the side, patiently waiting for him to wake up.
"Internal demons? One thing for sure, his definitely needed some help for his mental health. Yun Ming was right."
(Actual Source - Former Outer courtyard Headmaster)
Next chapter in nine hours.
Nothing serious between us - 7