Xu Hanyu's eyes twitched.
"..."
There was a long, dead silence.
Then, without hesitation, he snapped. "Shut up. My mother is dead. And a man can't get pregnant. You think I'm a fool—?!"
The elder burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I'm just messing with you! Don't take things so seriously, brat."
Xu Hanyu exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "Hah… Just my luck. Not only do I get a talking bracelet, but it's got a shameless old man inside it."
"Plus, why are you in my bracelet?" he added.
"Why are you treating it like some kind of cursed object?" The elder raised an eyebrow. "I've been in there longer than you've been alive, brat."
"Tch, I never asked. Tell me, where did you even come from, old man? Are you really a spirit or ghost?" Xu Hanyu asked, trying to wrap his head around the bizarre scene.
"Excuse me?! I'm not an old man, I may look like an old man in this form but you have no idea how good-looking I was back then in my days..!"
"Ahm, that's weird. You have a beard, that makes you old. Whatever, just tell me, are you really a spirit..?"
"Ehem…Ehem..! Correction, I am both a person and a spirit" the old man chuckled, his grin revealing a playful spirit.
"A person..? Tch. Where is your body then..? Why are you naked in that spirit form of yours?" Xu Hanyu pressed, struggling to maintain his composure while discomfort crept into his expression.
Meanwhile, spirit elder crossed his arms with pride before saying, "You brat, just because I'm in this state doesn't mean—"
"Wait, what did you say…?" The elder furrowed his brow as he froze on the spot.
Xu Hanyu then crossed his arms, wearing an unimpressed expression. "... I said, 'why are you naked—'"
At that moment, the spirit elder also slowly glanced down at himself.
"W-Wah! Where are my clothes?!" He suddenly shrieked, hastily covering himself with his misty hands, interrupting Xu Hanyu and causing him to take a startled step back.
"No, no! Don't look! Turn around!" He waved frantically, as if that would somehow make him less visible.
Then Xu Hanyu started to laugh and mocked him, saying, "What? You're embarrassed now? Earlier you were so confident and n—" but before he could finish, a small stone smacked him square in the forehead.
"Ow—what the hell, old man?! Why are you throwing rocks at me?!" Xu Hanyu shouted, rubbing his forehead.
"I told you to turn around!" The elder barked. "Or do you want another one?!"
"Alright, alright!" Xu Hanyu huffed and spun around. "Hah… Just my luck. First, a talking bracelet, and now a streaking ghost."
The elder grumbled under his breath, mist curling around him as he willed a set of spectral robes onto his form. "Tch. Ungrateful brat. Back in my day, if someone witnessed the naked form of a being like me, they'd be blessed for ten lifetimes!"
Meanwhile, the elder slowly uses the essence of his soul power to cover up his body which is now covered with some kind of thin clothing.
Xu Hanyu scoffed. "Blessed? More like traumatized."
"Ahem! Let me tell you—my body isn't just any ordinary body!" He struck an exaggerated pose in front of Xu Hanyu. "I possess the most special physique on this entire continent! Just hearing you talk about it like that is an insult, young man!"
"Hah?! What do you mean you have the most special body? That doesn't make any sense! I don't even think you have one to begin with!"
"You—! So young, yet your tongue is razor-sharp! To think I'd be outmatched by a child who can't even cultivate!"
"Ha! You're just a spirit—what do you even know about cultivation? At least I'm still alive and kicking!" Xu Hanyu retorted, crossing his arms defiantly.
The old man chuckled again as his eyes twinkled with mischief. "Alive and kicking, huh? But tell me, young man, what have you achieved in your short life? You think you can just waltz around without understanding the true essence of power?"
Xu Hanyu frowned hearing his pride get pricked. "I may not be a powerful cultivator yet, but I've got my strengths! That counts for something!"
"Hmm, determination is a good start," the old man mused, nodding thoughtfully. "But if you want to truly grow, you'll need to learn from someone who knows the path. What do you say? Want to learn from me?" he formed a sly smile towards him.
"You? Teach me? You're just a spirit without a body! If I were you, I'd just disappear already!"
"Hehe... Too bad. We can't be separated now—a part of me is already within you. Believe it or not, I hold knowledge far beyond your understanding, so don't be so quick to judge, young one. I can also offer you power, something that defies the usual path of cultivation. Trust me. Besides, after years of isolation inside that bracelet, having an apprentice might be... refreshing."
Xu Hanyu's attention snapped to him. A method that defies the usual path of cultivation? What is this old man up to...? That kind of thing shouldn't even exist.
"Tsk. Don't take me for a fool, old man..! I'm not interested in your tricks, so stop trying to make me look stupid. A method that defies normal cultivation? Absurd." He turned to leave, but the elder spirit followed, refusing to let him go.
"Hey, I'm really serious, there are other ways for you to gain power."
Xu Hanyu halted and turned back sharply. "Ha! Another method of cultivating? Do you really expect me to believe that? My meridians are blocked! Every day, I endure humiliation and scorn, and now you want to feed me with false hope?!" With that, he strode away, leaving the spirit elder to sighed in resignation.
"Young man, how about we make a bet?"
Xu Hanyu paused and turned to the spirit elder. "Bet? What kind of bet?"
"I can assure you that even without following the traditional method of cultivation, you can gain power."
Xu Hanyu was confused and thought. Is that really possible?
Tch. Maybe it's just lies.
"Well, in order to make a bet, you have to earn my trust. Isn't that the right thing to do?"
"Young man, you don't believe me, do you?"
"Yeah, I don't."
"Then, let me prove it to you."
"..."
"Ehem..ehem.." slowly caressing his beard up and down before continuing, "I am a renowned skilled Crystalist in my time and a skilled fighter. I have the knowledge and expertise to create top-tier crystals infused with powerful energy. However, I am currently unable to do so to some extent due to my current condition"
The spirit elder thought, slowly forming a playful smirk. A little self-praise should be enough to sway him. Kids are easy to impress.
Meanwhile, Xu Hanyu looks very suspicious of him. Crystalist? I heard Crystallist are considered powerful practitioners. Plus, being a fighter at the same time, is something that people cannot do so easily.. If this old man is really a Crystallist, then… he probably had an excellent talent before.
But how does this connect to the different method of cultivation that he told me?
Whatever, I'll just play along.
"So you were a Crystalist before?"
With that, the spirit elder smirked again, "Hehe… of course. But there's more to that."
"???" Xu Hanyu waited for his next words.
"Other than making top-tier crystals, I also mastered the skill of making high-quality talismans and embedding them into a crystal. So you could say, I am somewhat a two-field practitioner and fighter as well."
A two-field practitioner?! I can't believe this old man here is both Crystalist and a Talisman Master at the same time…
Or maybe he is just lying again to fool me.
"So you're a two-field practitioner and a fighter? I heard it's tough to become a two-field practitioner and become a fighter at the same time, is that true?"
"Yes, it's tough. But someone like you who has a strong soul and strong body, then you perhaps might be able to inherit the talent that I have."
Xu Hanyu remained skeptical. It was a hard decision to trust the old man since he doesn't know where this creature came from.
Hm, should I trust this old man..? I don't think I can afford that.
"Hmph! I told you don't attempt to make me hope for anything, old man. Your statements are untrustworthy. Even your identity and origins are unknown to me. Is it possible for someone without a body to be trusted?"
"Aiaa... Boy, stop calling me an old man, and quit bringing up my lack of a body! Don't you get it? You and I are one. My body is inside you, and my spirit is deeply connected to yours. That means we're bound together, and you don't have a choice but to trust me." The spirit elder said dramatically swaying in the air.
"Nonsense..! Just because we're 'connected', doesn't mean I have to put my trust in you. Plus, you keep going on about 'you possess my body, you possess my body,' but honestly, I don't get what you mean. And first of all, we don't even know each other, so stop throwing absurd things at me." The young master turned away and began to walk off, dismissing the spirit elder's words.
With that, the spirit elder, still standing in place, whispered under his breath as he watched Xu Hanyu walk away. "Zhong Lin, Zhong Lin… is this really the young one you wanted me to protect? He's even more thick-headed than you were."
"I can help you lift that curse…"