The small insignia laid heavily in Zhang Baichi's hand. He didn't understand what the old man was doing. "Didn't you just say you wouldn't give me anything?"
"Of course.", the old man nodded. "The insignia is proof that you're not a criminal of the sect."
"…And no one from the Law Enforcement Division will make things difficult for me." Zhang Baichi repeated Jian Fu's words slowly, but the old man didn't react.
He gave Zhang Baichi a deep and profound look, to which Zhang Baichi simply nodded. He finally understood that the old man was just trying to help him out without making it too obvious.
"I understand. If there is nothing else, I will return to my cottage, Elder." Zhang Baichi clasped his hands in front of his chest, his expression now as profound as Jian Fu's.
The old man nodded and sent him off, not saying another word about the matter.
The two of them went their separate ways; The old man returning to the innermost parts of the Law Enforcement Division and Zhang Baichi returning to his wooden cottage.
A few people took notice of Zhang Baichi returning, but no one paid him any mind. Zhang Baichi glanced to the side; The old beddings that he burned had been cleaned up and his cottage has already been equipped with a new set the day before.
He closed the door behind himself and took a deep breath. "System, wake me up at dawn…"
A few steps was all that separated him from his bed. He simply slumped down on it and drifted off to sleep.
Noon had just passed, but after staying awake for three days, Zhang Baichi couldn't care less about the time and he drifted off to sleep immediately.
His meeting with the Sect Master didn't raise any waves in the sect and neither did his meeting with Jian Fu, the Elder in charge of the Law Enforcement Division.
News about it didn't even reach as far as the Outer Sect as most people were silenced by the Law Enforcement Division on orders of Jian Fu as soon as the latter made contact with Zhang Baichi.
The only ones that knew about the matters are the ones that were present when the Law Enforcement Division confronted Zhang Baichi in front of his cottage.
.
.
.
In another part of the Outer Sect, two young men sat inside a small cottage, their backs casually leaning against the walls. Both of them looked at another, trembling young man kneeling in front of them.
"So, he came back again?", one of the two men said, his tone uncertain.
"Yes, yes! I saw him returning to his cottage. He looked haggard and drained. He went directly into his cottage!" The young man trembled harder and didn't dare look the other two in the eyes.
The young man leaning against the wall tapped his fingers on the wood next to himself and looked at the young man by his side. "What do you think, Brother Lu?"
"Hm…" The young man casually leaning against another wall was Lu Hao, who had tried to poison Zhang Baichi before. He remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.
"It's weird. The Law Enforcers took him away, then he returned shortly after and holed himself up in his cottage. No one knew what he was up to, but now he came from the outside, looking haggard, huh." Lu Hao spoke in a bored tone, his cold eyes fixed on the kneeling young man.
"Yes! Brother Lu is right, yes! That's exactly what happened." The man quickly nodded his head like a rattle drum.
"So you're telling me, that you, and all of those pieces of trash that were ordered to keep an eye on Zhang Baichi with you, didn't notice him leaving and thought he was holed up for three days?" Lu Hao's tone became colder with each word.
"No! Brother Lu, please let me explain!" the young man pleaded and, as Lu Hao only stared at him, quickly explained. "He was definitely in his cottage! We heard him every day! He was cultivating and sounded like he was in pain."
"Then how did he 'return'? Where from? And why the f*ck did none of you bastards notice WHEN exactly he left?", Lu Hao shouted, crushing the wood his arm was resting on with one strike.
"We're sorry! We're sorry, Brother Lu, please show mercy!" the young man crumpled onto the floor, practically begging for his life.
The remaining young man leaning against the wall sighed and waved the pleading young man off. "Alright, that's enough. Just get lost."
"Thank you Brother Ji, thank you Brother Lu!" the young man scrambled out of the cottage on his knees, repeating the same thanks over and over again, not daring to stay any longer.
Lu Hao looked at the young man leaning against the wall and spoke in a low voice. "This is the third time that these numbskulls failed to follow orders, but you're still letting them off. What the hell are you planning, Ji Jian?"
"I'm not planning anything.", the young man replied as he slicked back his messy black hair. His skin was slightly pale yet clear like porcelain. He had a sharp jawline, straight nose, with cool green eyes.
He was handsome and well built, yet his beauty failed to hide the malice in his eyes. His gestures and attitude were belittling like everything was beneath him, giving him the imposing presence of an ancient emperor.
He smiled and looked at Lu Hao with a lazy expression. "It's just that I never expected anything from trash like them in the first place."
Lu Hao clicked his tongue with an annoyed expression. He was never able to see through Ji Jian and couldn't guess what the latter was thinking, making him uncomfortable.
Considering Ji Jian's strength, Lu Hao grew irritated whenever he talked to this young man that was just a few days older than himself. "What do you want to do, then?!"
Ji Jian looked at him, his smile growing wider. "Isn't that your problem? In two months, I'll fight that useless fool, kill him, and that anything that once belonged to him or his clan for myself. What happens before that is up to you."
"You're too careless." Lu Hao sat flatly. "He's already strong enough to fight people like Yu Hao of the Law Enforcement Division."
"I could fight ten people like that Yu Hao with my eyes closed a year ago. People like him or that Zhang Baichi can never catch up to me." Ji Jian's expression was still as lazy as before.
"Arrogant bastard.", Lu Hao cursed. "You're not invincible."
"I am invincible below the Qi Gathering Realm, making me invincible in the Outer Sect.", Ji Jian said while shifting his body into another position, smiling like a contented cat.
"Oh, f*ck off." Lu Hao raised his hands and stood up, ready to leave with anger burning in his heart. Ji Jian followed him with his eyes and chuckled. "Close the door on your way out, Brother Lu."
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[Ding! Informing Host that dawn has arrived.]
"Hng…" Zhang Baichi groaned in acknowledgement and turned around in his bed.
[Ding! Informing Host that dawn has arrived.]
"Ugh, just give it a rest." He grumbled, refusing to get up.
[Ding! Informing Host…]
"Ah, d*mn, I get it! I get it, so shut up, alright?" Zhang Baichi crawled about on the bed and finally sat in an upright position.
It took him a few more minutes to get rid of his sleep drunkenness, but he was soon back to normal.
His hair was dishevelled, but it didn't look sickly like before. The big black rings under his eyes were also gone. He looked and felt refreshed. 'I sleep from noon to dawn, huh. That really was my limit.'
Zhang Baichi casually strolled out of his cottage, washed up at the nearby well and ate the food a young servant brought him.
He sat down while eating and pulled up his system interface.
[Ding! Displaying information as instructed:]
[Name: Zhang Baichi
Age: 13 years
Occupation: Personal Disciple of Jian Wubai, the Sect Master of the Fleeting Storm Sword Sect(!)
Reputation: None
Cultivation: 7th Layer of the Body Forging Realm
Techniques: Black Heaven Scripture, Breezing Wind Sword Technique, Fractured Star Sword Technique
Points: 0
Inventory Shop]
'The Sect Master told me to reach the peak of Body Forging by the time of the duel. That won't be a problem; It'll take around two or three weeks, since I can only rely on the Black Heaven Scripture.', Zhang Baichi thought.
He took a bite from the bread in his hand. "The problem is… What do I do after that? Break through to Qi Gathering? No, there might be some hidden reason why I need to be at the peak of Body Forging, so I can't do that."
"… I guess that means it's sword training all the way.", Zhang Baichi sighed.
He recalled the instructions of the Fracture Star Sword technique and sighed again. 'After the Stardust Stage comes the Star Stage. First off, it sounds weird; Second, it's d*mn hard. Just the second stage already requires me to comprehend an Intent. How the f*ck am I supposed to comprehend Star Intent…"