Chapter 36

“…”

Thoroughly exhausted, Qing Yue pants with sweat rolling down her face, to which, Ye Chen says—

“Take some water in, but make sure to not drink all of it.”

“G-Got it…”

Currently, everyone is seated together in a circle.

Any extra layer of clothing—that goes over the upper body, was removed, and stored away into their backpacks.

“…”

Looking at the two storage pouches in his hand, Ye Chen asks—

“How does this thing even work?”

Leaning over, Long Hua takes one of the drawstring pouches, and opens it.

(Doesn’t use spirit Qi to open, figure as much.)

Peeking into the pouch, Long Hua sees a decent collection of supplies—from food to basic camping necessities.

Pulling his head away from the pouch, Long Hua reaches a hand into it, and draws out a bottle of water, prior to replying—

“You basically just open it, and think of what it is that you want, and it will appear in your hand.”

“Convenient.”

Catching the storage pouch that is tossed back, Ye Chen looks at the others, and says—

“I’ll keep one on me—if the rest of you don’t mind. Question is, who wants the second one?”

“I’m fine without it.”

Qing Yue is the first to opt out, whereas Long Hua shrugs his shoulders—being fine with whoever, since he doesn’t have a need for it himself.

(…Hmm.)

Noticing how quick Long Hua had opted out as well, Ye Chen presses his brows together for a brief instance.

Considering how it was by his effort alone—that the Ashen River Hall had lost four pouches, no one would think it strange for Long Hua to ask for one.

“Hmm, Yu Ji, you have it.”

“Are you sure, vice-captain?”

Directing a meaningful glance at Long Hua, Li Xue answers—

“It would seem kind of odd—for me to receive it, after Long Hua said those words, right?”

“Then, I won’t be polite.”

Receiving the storage pouch, Yu Ji stuffs it into her pocket.

Using this chance to catch their breath, Ye Chen fills Li Xue in—on the total amount of supplies, that they have on hand.

Momentarily—

“By my estimate, we have enough supplies to last us for two weeks and a half. And if we’re stingy about our supplies, we might even get it to last for longer.”

Saying this, Li Xue frowns, to which, Ye Chen takes over, and adds—

“Might sound bad, but we might have to steal from others.”

“Heh, we’ve already done just that.”

Raising a chuckle in response to Long Hua’s reply, Ye Chen’s expression momentarily turns solemn, as he says—

“Right, let’s talk about our next step.”

Simultaneously, everyone nods, while Ye Chen continues to say—

“Unlike the folks at the Ashen River Hall, we don’t really know what sort of dangers there are in this place. However, our focus should be to find this teleportation magic array that they mentioned. The moment we find it, we get the hell out, agreed?”

“I’m fine with that.”

“I am as well.”

“The question is, where is this magic array?”

“…”

As silence looms over the group, no one really knows where to start—with there being nothing more than blue skies and sand around them for as far as the eye could see.

Shrugging a shoulder, Long Hua remarks—

“Take a step and see, I guess?”

Raising a frown, Li Xue remarks—

“Those guys from the hall, they mentioned mapping this place out. I assume they have a tool—from the Immortals, for that as well?”

“Probably. Ai…”

Heaving a sigh towards Li Xue’s question, Ye Chen looks up at the blue skies. It is also then—that he notices the lack of moving gears, being present.

“…”

Blinking his eyes with a hint of amazement, Ye Chen regains his wits quickly, and says—

“Regardless, sitting here isn’t going to help. We’ll take a few minutes to let Qing Yue rest. After that, let’s just pick a random direction, and walk it? We’ll adjust to the situation accordingly.”

Agreeing to this, everyone nods.

In the same instance, Yu Ji notices something amiss with Ye Chen’s speech pattern, as she asks—

“Captain, you’re not calling us with our ranks anymore?”

“We don’t know what the hell is waiting for us in this desert. So… As cliché as this might sound, we need to trust each other a bit more—to raise our odds of survival.”

Saying this, Ye Chen looks to Long Hua, to which, the latter says—

“Quit looking at me like that, surnamed Ye.”

“Surnamed Long, I feel like—out of all of us here, you’re the one to have been prepared the most. A pair of sunglasses to block out the sun, and a calabash for water storage, along with a new pair of boots.”

“…”

Outwardly smiling, Long Hua inwardly clicks his tongue; it’s individuals like this—that make it impossible for him to lower his guard.

“You’re overestimating me.”

Glancing at Long Hua, Qing Yue thought—

(Only a ghost would believe that.)

“Whatever. Five more minutes.”

“Forget it, I’m well-rested, as is, captain.”

“You certain?”

Replying with a nod, Qing Yue stands up, and begins to brush off the sand—that is sticking to her clothes and skin.

“Alright, let’s go then.”

Following suit, everyone else rises off the sand.

(Hmm. To go solo, or to stay in the group, still can’t decide which is best. I guess…)

Facing forward, Long Hua decides to stick with the group for now.

If it becomes unbearable, making himself vanish shouldn’t be too difficult—without the Immortal detection systems nearby, he has full access to his cultivation base after all.

Chapter 37

Night falls and with the sun out, the temperature immediately turns colder, forcing the group to put on an extra layer.

“…”

Continuing to move, Long Hua throws his usual fur-hooded black coat on, and looks up at the skies.

In the sun’s place is the moon, and different from the outside world—

“Captain, isn’t this sight what you’ve always dreamt of? A gearless sky?”

Towards Long Hua’s remark, Ye Chen does find the situation somewhat pleasing, but—

“Now if only this wasn’t a sky crafted out of Immortal tech…”

“Should just consider ourselves lucky, how many people out there—can say that they’ve stood beneath a gearless sky?”

Looking upwards, both Qing Yue and Yu Ji have to agree with Li Xue, while Ye Chen replies—

“Ai, true enough. In any case, I think we’ve walked enough for today. Let’s set up camp the moment we find a suitable location.”

Walking a bit further along, the group finds a patch of sand that is flat, and takes out their camping equipment from the storage pouch.

There isn’t much to say—in regards to how the area near them looked like, but a few meters in front of them, there is a hill of sand that looks climbable.

With the tents and fire setup, the group sits down together to eat.

While eating, Ye Chen asks—

“So, who’s up for night watch duty?”

Other than Long Hua, everyone else is as tired as they could be.

However, keeping an eye out for any abrupt changes to the situation, or hidden dangers is still necessary, especially so since this environment is completely foreign to them.

Shrugging his shoulders, Long Hua replies—

“I’m fine with being the first one up.”

“You and me like last time then.”

As soon as they are done eating, Li Xue, Yu Ji, and Qing Yue head off into the tents to sleep.

Due to how hectic the events—that occurred during the daytime were, none of them had any trouble falling asleep quickly.

“…”

“…”

Other than the sound of the firewood cracking under the heat, there was no other sound to be heard.

Time passes slowly in this manner, and eventually—

“…Why does it seem like our office always gets shafted when there’s a task up?”

Deciding to finally speak, Long Hua chooses this topic, to which, Ye Chen replies—

“Hell if I know… Also, surnamed Long, I feel like I’m finally starting to see the genuine you.”

“Hmm. What do you mean by that, surnamed Ye?”

Taking out his fishing rod, and extending it fully, Long Hua examines the tool with narrowed eyes.

Prior to this trip, he had used the Divine Weapon of Tai Xuan to modify it, so despite it having the appearance of a fishing rod, it is nevertheless a magic treasure of the Qi Condensation realm. And as it is a magic treasure, another unique feature of it—is its line, which can be extended endlessly, so long as it is provided with spirit Qi.

(If push comes to shove, this fishing rod can act as a sword.)

Just as Long Hua had thought of this, Ye Chen finished getting his thoughts in order, and says—

“I’ve been trying to figure out what sort of people, the three—that I’m in charge of, are. Qing Yue and Yu Ji, I’ve mostly figured out. But you… You’re still a bit of a mystery.”

Raising an eye, Long Hua asks—

“What do you think of Qing Yue and Yu Ji then?”

“Qing Yue might seem unreliable at first glance, but she’s got a sharper head on her shoulders than she lets on. During our retreat, she was the first to think of providing us with a means of getting away faster without being told. I think she’s been holding back. As for Yu Ji, I feel like he’s a bit naïve, despite him being an assassin. If there’s money to be made, he’d be the first to jump at it—for the sake of his little sister, which makes him seem… Too easy to manipulate, I suppose?”

“I see.”

Towards Long Hua’s reaction that seems rather dispassionate, Ye Chen raises an eye, and changes the topic by asking—

“So, surnamed Long, why did you bring a fishing rod—of all things?”

“My doctor said my Hazard Level’s abrupt increase was unnerving, so I decided to not use my Relic unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

With how unusual this “Relic” is, Long Hua isn’t keen on relying on it.

“Uh? Wasn’t yours only 200 last time?”

“…A certain incident occurred when I was on a job for my Guild. Let’s just say, that job required me to get extra serious.”

To make this lie seem more convincing, Long Hua narrows his eyes greatly, making it seem as if he’s scheming to kill a hateful enemy—the moment he meets them again.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

(A certain incident… Was it during that time when he asked for a day off?)

Under ordinary circumstances, Ye Chen would think to ask for an official doctor’s report; however, with how rocky the issue of trust already is, he doesn’t wish to risk it.

Shrugging a shoulder, Ye Chen asks—

“…Since you don’t trust your back to anyone, I’m assuming you got a pouch hidden away somewhere?”

Raising a light chuckle, Long Hua takes out his personal storage pouch, and dangles it around, while replying—

“Nabbed it off someone else.”

“Sticky hands as they say.”

Collapsing the fishing rod, and storing it away, Long Hua is just about to grab the calabash for a drink, however—

“………Surnamed Ye, was that hill…? Always that tall?”

“…”

Looking at the same hill, Ye Chen slowly rises to a stand.

Before, the hill looked scalable, but now—

Chapter 38

“Li Xue! Wake up!”

Despite being tired, Li Xue’s combat habits—that originated from the frontlines, are still there; for as soon as Ye Chen had called her, she snaps her eyes wide open.

“Qing Yue, wake up.”

“Uh…?”

Giving Qing Yue a rough shake, Li Xue crawls out of the tent with her Relic in hand, and asks—

“What hap…-?”

Without finishing her question, vigilance emanates from Li Xue’s eyes, while Ye Chen says—

“Wake up Yu Ji as well, and start packing up.”

Nodding her head, Li Xue moves over to the other tent.

“…”

“…”

Standing closely together, Long Hua and Ye Chen eyes the sands around them with wariness.

Someone, or something is treating the sands like water, as they move beneath it, and circle the group’s campsite.

“Shit…”

“…”

*Siii! Siii! Siii!* if one isn’t already intimidating enough as it is, there are now more than ten of them swimming around.

From a bird’s eye view, it looks as if the group is stuck on an island that is thoroughly surrounded by sharks.

As Qing Yue and Yu Ji exit their tents, and work to pack up as much of their supplies as possible, they can’t help but occasionally direct a glance at whatever it is that is moving beneath the sands.

Eventually, Ye Chen asks—

“Surnamed Long, you want to try, and fish one of them up with that rod of yours?”

“Really funny, surnamed Ye, but…”

Pulling out his fishing rod, and casting a line towards the campfire, Long Hua picks up a burning piece of wood, and tosses it into the distance.

“Worth a try.”

*Pah!* leaping out of the sands like a fish is—

“Uh…?”

“What kind of fish is that?”

The fish like creature’s body is thoroughly covered in sharp scales, which allows it to efficiently slice through the sands; and as it comes into contact with the burning wood, it effortlessly snaps the wood into two—before diving back into the sands.

Having seen something so bizarre, both Qing Yue and Yu Ji stopped their hands from moving, and drew closer to the others.

“I didn’t see eyes on that thing; it’s possible that it uses other senses to detect its prey.”

Sharing her observations of that creature, Li Xue takes aim at one of the moving bodies beneath the sands, and—

*Pah!* upon thrusting her spear forward, the weapon extends in length, and having impaled something, Li Xue lifts it upwards—throwing the creature’s body into the air.

Simultaneously—

*Pah! Pah! Pah!* numerous creatures—the same as the one that was tossed into the air, leaps out of the sands, and similarly, to a pack of piranhas, they rip their dead kin apart, causing blood to rain down from above.

“Never thought I’d see piranhas in a desert…”

Just as Yu Ji had said this—

*Guuuuuuu!!!* the sand beneath their feet trembles, and patches of it are thrown upwards—making it seem as if the area around them had become a body of water that is currently boiling!

As more and more of the sands are tossed about, it becomes terrifying to think of just how many sand piranhas there are beneath their feet.

“Wh-What do we do?”

Looking around in panic, Qing Yue just so happens to catch sight of—

“The tents…”

In an effortless manner, the sand piranhas pierce through the tents with their blade-like bodies—ripping it apart in an instant.

Blinking his eyes, Long Hua adds to Li Xue’s observation, and says—

“They either use smell, or sound to detect prey; worst-case scenario, they use both.”

“And if they do use both?”

Towards Li Xue’s question, Long Hua answers—

“Hope and pray that their sense of hearing is more developed than their sense of smell.”

(Surnamed Long, you better not purposefully hold back here. If I die, I’ll come back as a ghost, and haunt you for the rest of your life!)

Thinking of this, Qing Yue stares at Long Hua with evident desperation in her eyes—while her forehead is drenched in cold sweat. Due to how damaged her MAU was, it’s still being serviced, so she doesn’t have it in her Summoning Pouch right now.

“They can finish us off easily, what are they waiting for?”

“…”

Towards Yu Ji’s question, Long Hua frowns, and replies—

“A bunch of sadistic assholes is what these things are. They’re waiting for us to panic, so that we’d taste better.”

“They’re that smart?”

Widening her eyes in response to Long Hua’s answer, Qing Yue sucks in a breath of cold air—whereas the others are a bit more skeptical about this conclusion.

(Dammit, I need to keep my trap shut a bit more…)

Thinking of an excuse quickly, Long Hua says—

“There’s a famous saying—that goes, a lion uses its full strength when hunting a hare. It’s simply a beast’s natural instincts to demonstrate its superiority over its prey. I suggest you all—to read a few research papers done on the world’s current ecosystem.”

Shrugging a shoulder, Ye Chen replies—

“Maybe after this, if we live.”

Turning his gaze towards Li Xue, Ye Chen says—

“Li Xue, I know for a fact that you can escape from this with another person.”

Gripping her spear tightly, Li Xue nods, and replies—

“I can teleport to wherever my spear is, and I can also bring one additional person with me.”

“So, there’s hope then?”

Before Li Xue can answer Qing Yue’s question, Long Hua raises his fishing rod—

“Hang on.”

Without anything attached to his hook, Long Hua casts his line, and rather quickly, several sand piranhas chase after the whistling sound that is generated by the line’s aerial traversal.

“Tch, they’re this sensitive to sound…?”

Upon his hook landing into the sands, Long Hua is quick to press the blue button on the rod, severing the line, and remarks—

“The moment you teleport to your spear, you’re going to have to start running. There won’t be any chances to come back for the rest of us.”

“…”

Hearing this, everyone’s expression darkens.

Thinking quickly, Ye Chen says—

“If these bastards are so sensitive to sound, we can set our phones to it loudest volume, and scatter them.”

“That won’t last very long.”

Nodding his head to Li Xue’s remark, Ye Chen turns to Yu Ji, and says—

“Blast arrows, as many as possible.”

Closing her right hand, a bow appears in Yu Ji’s grip, along with a quiver—that is strapped to her hip.

Drawing in a light breath, Ye Chen remarks—

“…The dust cloud that is kicked up will make it difficult for us to keep track of one another. There’s a high likelihood of us getting separated, but that also means we’ll end up splitting this pack’s attention between each other.”

“What do we do about supplies?”

Without any hesitation, Ye Chen shoves his storage pouch to Li Xue.

“You-”

“Captain’s orders, take Qing Yue and leave together. My life here is the most worthless out of everyone.”

With a begrudging look, Li Xue takes the storage pouch, and shoves it into her pocket, prior to asking—

“…You’re certain?”

“Never been more.”

Chapter 39

Raising the volume of their phones to its max, and picking out a single song from their playlist, the group of five all had a resolute look on their faces.

“Ready? On a count of three. Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

Simultaneously, everyone hits the play button.

Immediately, five different genres of music are played.

“Who the hell put on heavy metal?”

“Classical music at a time like this?”

“Hip-hop of all things?”

“Who’s listening to electronica in this day and age?”

“Gufeng? Whose taste is this ancient?”

Disagreeing with each other’s tastes in music, the five threw their phones in different directions—prior to breaking off into a run.

Before any cloud of dust can be kicked up, Li Xue is quick to grab Qing Yue by the back of her collar—while hurling her spear into the air.

Despite not knowing where the spear could have landed, Li Xue immediately activates its second ability of teleportation—causing both her and Qing Yue’s bodies to be covered in a veil of blue radiance.

In the next instance, they vanished from sight.

Amidst the act of running, Yu Ji notches ten arrows, and fires them upwards—prior to notching another, and firing it off into a random direction.

*Boom!* as soon as the eleventh arrow lands, it explodes—throwing a number of sand piranhas into the air!

*Boom! Boom! Boom!* one after the other, the first volley of arrows land and detonates!

Putting his sunglasses on—to shield his eyes from the dust cloud, Long Hua mindlessly runs in a straight line.

In less than five minutes, he has already put more than half a mile’s worth of distance between him and the sand piranhas; however—

“Damn, talk about stubborn…”

Seeing the sand behind him being parted through his divine senses, Long Hua clicks his tongue, as he refits his fishing rod with a blade-shaped hook.

“Hm?”

Spotting Yu Ji towards the right of himself, and is leading a pack that is getting smaller and smaller with every arrow—that the former is firing into the distance, Long Hua is quick to lean towards the former’s direction.

“Surnamed Long!”

Seeing the massive sand piranha pack—that is being led towards her direction by Long Hua in a hurry, Yu Ji’s complexion pales.

“D-Don’t come this way!”

“Shut it and keep shooting!”

Closing in on Yu Ji rapidly, Long Hua grabs her by the collar of her cropped jacket, and proceeds to drag her with him as he continues to run.

The speed that Long Hua is running at—easily prevents Yu Ji’s feet from hitting the ground.

“Ah whatever!”

Grinding her teeth together, Yu Ji continues to fire off her arrows, and at a gradual rate, the pack that is chasing after them shrinks.

As soon as the sand piranha pack becomes a manageable size, Long Hua slides to a halt before tossing Yu Ji aside, and turns towards the incoming enemies that remain.

“Surnamed Long, you-!”

Ignoring Yu Ji’s complaints, Long Hua presses the red button on the black stick, and fully extends the fishing rod.

“Rise!”

Swinging the fishing rod, and casting its line outwards, the hook cleaves the area in front of Long Hua, and—

*Boom!* the force of this cleave readily throws all the remaining sand piranhas into the air!

Swinging the fishing rod wildly, as he would a sword, Long Hua ties up all the remaining sand piranhas, and with a final swing—that is performed with the rotation of his body, he smashes the bundled piranhas onto the ground!

*Boom!* as a pillar of sand is thrown up into the air, Yu Ji looks on with slacked jaws.

Pressing the blue button, Long Hua severs the line, and collapses the fishing rod.

Exhaling a deep breath of air, Long Hua walks over to the bloodied bundle, and opens his storage pouch.

“Uh? Where did yo-?”

Finally catching up with the situation, Yu Ji is just about to ask Long Hua where he had obtained his storage pouch from, but—

“I hid one in case. Surnamed Ye already knows.”

Storing the pouch away, Long Hua takes a drink out of his calabash, and having done that, he moves onwards without looking back.

“Ah wait for me!”

“Hurry up then.”

As there is no way to know if there are more of those sand piranhas below, Long Hua sees benefits in having Yu Ji accompany him.

“Ai.”

Heaving a sigh, Yu Ji says—

“So much for being able to get a good night’s rest…”

“With those things beneath our feet, don’t even think about it.”

Considering how she had actually managed to get a bit of rest, Yu Ji didn’t see any right for her to complain about the issue, as she changes the topic, and asks—

“Surnamed Long, what are the odds of us being able to reunite with the others?”

“Hell if I know. It’s all in fate’s hands now. In any case, between the two of us with a storage pouch each. Our chance of survival is quite high.”

Thinking for a bit, Yu Ji asks—

“Doesn’t this situation—kind of make you think of entering into an MMO’s instance area?”

“I really don’t play those games, but now that you mentioned it… Yeah, it does.”

………

In other parts of the desert—

“Help me!”

“Aaahhh!”

“Dammit!”

Incidents of this nature had occurred to other groups as well—with most of them resulting in a complete wipe-out.

As for the few that did manage to survive—despite being cut off from the rest of one’s group, being able to live through the first major incident could still be considered lucky.

Intermission – The Immortal in Red and the Immortal Emperor of Yuling

In another time, in another era—during a time where the Leng Bing Realm had only just been created, there was once an emperor who had ruled over a land called the Yuling Empire.

Despite possessing the status of emperor, the emperor was not a man, but a woman—and unlike common emperors, she had reigned over her land for well over 300 years; thus, in the process of performing her duties to the people, the infant-aged world came to grant her the title of the “Immortal Emperor.”

Yet, as history of other lands had shown, no emperor could reign forever, and no nation was everlasting.

Despite being called the Immortal Emperor, the emperor was not a genuine Immortal; she did not command supernatural forces, nor was she a natural disaster’s incarnation.

She merely possessed a body—that was akin to the Immortals, which in turn, granted her a much greater lifespan than the common mortal.

Eventually, her body started to show signs of deterioration, and with it, she was left with two options—leave for Mount Changqiu with the hopes of seeking a true Immortal’s aid, or continue her imperial duties until death.

Ultimately, she chose to leave for Mount Changqiu, and forcefully, staying by the emperor’s side throughout her journey—was a man dressed in red robes.

During their journey together, the emperor had remarked—

“Young man, life is long. Don’t think just because you have the body of an Immortal, you can belittle others.”

“Life is long. Maybe that’s the case for others, but for me… I have two years at most.”

Similarly, to the emperor, the man in the red robes possessed an Immortal trait, his being in the form of physical strength—that no mortal may hope to contend against.

However, the man in the red robe’s body had a defect, in which, their lifespan is miserably short.

“What do you mean?”

“Whatever is granting me my Immortal attributes is flawed. According to records left by the ancestors of the Yan Empire’s imperial family, a person with a body like mine—is only able to live for up to 30 years.”

“You wanted to obtain my family’s Immortal art to extend your life, isn’t that why—you entered my palace under the guise of a eunuch?”

“That was my original intention.”

“And what is your intention now?”

“Your family’s Immortal art won’t work as well on me. All it does is transfer one individual’s lifespan onto another. But the amount of life force—that an Immortal needs, to maintain their incomprehensible amount of longevity, isn’t something that can just be obtained off an ordinary mortal or two. How many lives must be sacrificed for me—who possesses an Immortal’s body, to live for a full year?”

“…”

“Brother Yu, no, Lady Yu—I ask that you be my eyes, watch over me to the end of my life, and live on as my proof; proof of me—having once walked on this earth. In exchange, so long as I live, I shall guard you from all manners of danger—to the best of my abilities.”

Together, the two demi-Immortals journeyed towards Mount Changqiu—each with their individual goal in mind.

Chapter 40

With the skies blue, the sun had replaced the moon, and with it, returned the scorching heatwaves.

“Hmm.”

Standing at the top of a hill, Long Hua surveys the landscape through his divine senses—while Yu Ji uses a pair of binoculars, to look into the far distance.

“Well? Anything of interest in the distance?”

Despite having seen nothing worthy of attention, Long Hua still asks, as it would be a bit unnatural to not do so.

Lowering the binoculars, Yu Ji replies—

“Nothing. Also, are we really going without sleep tonight?”

For Long Hua, going without sleep for a full week isn’t an issue, but the same cannot be applied to Yu Ji.

Shrugging a shoulder, Long Hua answers—

“Eventually, you’re going to have to go without sleep for a day. Might as well get it over with. Besides, I for one isn’t too keen on taking a dirt nap.”

“Ai…”

Understanding what Long Hua meant by a dirt nap, Yu Ji could only nod.

Turning away from Yu Ji, Long Hua begins to move, while asking—

“Surnamed Yu, if we run out of supplies, what would you do?”

“Uh?”

Towards this abrupt question, Yu Ji can’t help but look to Long Hua’s back with an odd expression on her face, and answers—

“I… Logically I would think to look for more from… Others?”

“Oh? The fact that you didn’t immediately resort to cannibalization is surprising.”

As Long Hua lets out a chuckle, Yu Ji widens her eyes, and replies—

“I think the fact that you thought to resort to that first is what’s even more surprising!”

Paying no heed to Yu Ji’s remark, Long Hua continues to ask—

“When you said others, do you mean by other people, or…?”

“Other people of course.”

“Then let me ask you this, why do you think I packed up all those piranhas last night?”

“You…?”

Thinking about the previous question, and connecting it to this one, Yu Ji answers—

“You plan to eat those?”

“All living things in nature can be eaten under the right circumstances, and with the right preparations. Those things are ultimately still a type of fish; they’re probably the most common thing that we’d be able to get to the domestically farmed livestock—that we have back in the city.”

The reason why the current world’s wildlife isn’t treated as a primary source of food—is mainly due to a mortal chef’s inability to cut into the skin of those creatures. A Sinner’s Relic is usually the only thing capable of the feat, and if one is a Sinner, they are either dealing with Immortal related issues, or are in retirement. That being said, why would they think to become a chef after that?

“True…”

Despite seeing the logic in Long Hua’s words, the idea of eating the piranhas—that had attempted to eat them the night before, is still somewhat discomforting to Yu Ji; mainly due to how unusual these creatures are from the norm.

“Surnamed Long, how’s your cooking skills?”

“Nonexistent, but it shouldn’t be too difficult—since we’re only grilling them after taking their innards out.”

In response to Long Hua’s nonconfidence inspiring words, Yu Ji can only raise a sigh, whereas the former continues to say—

“Next question.”

“There’s more?”

“Surnamed Yu, there’s no trust between us, so I need to know that you won’t drag my leg down.”

Twitching her lips in response to Long Hua’s bluntness, Yu Ji replies—

“…Ask away then.”

“If a group of robbers came, and attacked us for our supplies. What would you do?”

“Fight them off.”

“And not kill them?”

“…Every single person here—other than the people from the hall, is a member of the Disciplinary Bureau, if we kill any one of them…-”

Cutting Yu Ji off, Long Hua says—

“Some of them are, but some of them have already sworn fealty to the hall.”

Turning her head quickly, Yu Ji realizes—

“You want to use that as an excuse to kill them?”

“Smart. Anyone that wants to rob me of my supplies, won’t receive an ounce of mercy. In fact, I’ll even rob them of theirs—after offing them. However, if I see value in keeping them around, I don’t mind putting a leash on them instead.”

“Your methods are extreme and spine chilling to say the least, but… I agree with them.”

Coming from an assassin background, it doesn’t take Yu Ji too much effort to see eye to eye with Long Hua on this matter, to which, the latter replies—

“Then, I don’t think I need to ask you anything else.”

“…”

Contemplating with a frown on her face, Yu Ji eventually musters up her courage to ask—

“…Surnamed Long, are you… Even human? I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but the way you see life is a bit…”

Resisting the urge to stop his movement, Long Hua answers—

“If I said, I’m not, what would you do?”

Without any hesitation, Yu Ji answers—

“I don’t care, so long as you can get me back to my little sister alive. I’ll even worship you as a god if needed.”

Laughing aloud, Long Hua says—

“Surnamed Ye’s eyes really are quite sharp.”

“What did the captain say about me?”

“He said, if there’s money to be made, you’d be the first to jump at it for the sake of your little sister, which makes you seem easy to manipulate.”

Casting her eyes down, Yu Ji raises a sigh, and remarks—

“What can I do about that? We’re each other’s only family. If I don’t take care of her, who would?”

A faint smile appears on Long Hua’s face in response to these words.

“Indeed, families should care for one another. I…”

Shaking his head, Long Hua lets out a laugh of self-ridicule, and mutters—

“Letting a white-haired man send off a black-haired man, I suppose I should be ashamed of myself?”

“Hm? You said something?”

“Nothing. Take care of your little sister well.”

“Of course.”