CHAPTER 8

Annoying Bamboo Stick

LUO FAN

“My name is Huang Wen. I’ve come on behalf of my master to get Priest Luo.”

I turned away from the stove the moment I heard my name mentioned by a young man that Jinjing was speaking to. The sun had just risen and I was just about to kindle a fire. I wasn’t sure what that young man wanted and I had no idea which master he was talking about.

I headed for the door and saw a silhouette of a tall and slender man standing before Jinjing.

“I’m Luo Fan,” I said as I approached. “What can I do for you?”

Jinjing stepped aside to give way.

“I’m Huang Wen.” He cupped his hands and bowed. “My master has sent me to get you.”

“May I inquire who your master is?”

“It’s Lord Lan,” he replied. “He said you’ve made a deal with him yesterday. He’s waiting for you along the road as we speak.”

I found myself speechless. Jinjing and I had already decided about that last night, but I did not expect it to be this sudden.

Jinjing touched my arm. “Should I prepare your things?”

I took a deep breath. “Alright.”

She immediately started packing up an extra set of clothes for me, some snacks and water.

“Don’t forget your stick,” she said as she handed me my things.

I reached for the stick that was leaning against the wall. “Will you be alright by yourself here?”

“I’ve been living alone for years even before you arrived.”

Although that was true, I still could not stop myself from worrying about her. I mostly feared that she might be harrassed at night again on her way home.

“I’ll walk you out,” she said.

She was about to reach for my hand when I saw the shadow of a man suddenly entering the door as if it were his own house. It did not look like Huang Wen. Huang Wen was a little shorter and slimmer compared to this man.

But I knew that frame too well.

“Lord Lan,” I greeted with cupped hands. “I was about to leave—”

“How long has Priest Luo been staying here?” he asked Jinjing, interrupting and ignoring me.

“For over two months now, my lord,” Jinjing replied in a high-pitched, trembling voice.

He sighed and looked around again, his eyes halting in the direction of the bed. “Is that the bed he’s been sleeping in?”

“Y-yes, when he was still unable to get up. But recently, he’s been sleeping on the floor.”

He looked at the floor. “This filthy floor?”

She lowered her head. Even if I could not see her reaction, I knew she was embarrassed. “I always try to keep it clean, but the wood is old and I can’t afford to replace it.”

He sighed again. “This man you’re living with is not an ordinary man. He is a world-renowned alchemist. He is called the Divine Mage. He is an esteemed priest of the Frost Mountain Temple, a senior disciple of the famous Ethereal Frost Sect, and a grandmaster in martial arts cultivation. He deserves a better place than this.”

“Lord Lan,” I had to interrupt. I had come all the way to Xianru to keep my identity hidden, and now this man had just blurted out all my secrets without any care about its consequences. “I am no longer that person that you refer to. I’m just an ordinary man now, with no title, no martial arts, and no status. Miss Jinjing has given me so much. If she had not offered me her place, I would have ended up sleeping on the streets.”

“I have a residence not too far away from here. Why don’t you come and stay there? I’ll provide you with your own servants. You may take your so-called wife along with you if you wish.”

Jinjing was speechless as we glanced at each other.

I cupped my hands and bowed before him. “I am grateful for the offer, my lord, but we are not worthy to stay in such a prestigious place. I’m afraid we will only compromise your reputation.”

He sighed again. “Huang Wen,” he called. “Find someone to do some repairs in this house. Tell him to replace all the rotten wood and fix all those broken windows, as well. He should also make an extension for a receiving area and buy some dividing screens to give this bedroom some privacy.”

“Yes, Master.”

I looked at Lord Lan with mouth agape. Even Jinjing could not utter a word.

He had the audacity to order some work done on someone else’s property as if he were an authority, without even consulting the owner if she was willing.

“Lord Lan,” I said. “You need not bother yourself with the house. We’re fine with it.”

“That is exactly the problem. I am so bothered that you have to live in this garbage. Since you refused my offer to stay in my residence, for your safety and for your health, I need to make some improvements around here to make this house at least livable.”

“Lord Lan, we don’t deserve your generosity.”

“And who says I’m being generous? It’s not for free.”

“But we cannot afford to pay for those—”

“You don’t have to pay either. I’ll shoulder the expenses as advance payment for your service. If you succeed in finding a cure, I’ll give you more.”

I breathed in relief. Jinjing did the same.

“My gratitude then. But if I failed to find a cure?”

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“Then you’ll have to pay me back.”

I was dumbfounded.

He laughed deeply. “Now don’t concern yourself about that. Someone as talented as the Divine Mage cannot possibly fail.”

“Here.” Huang Wen handed something to Jinjing which sounded like a pouch filled with coins. “That should be enough to support yourself during Priest Luo’s absence.”

The only sound I heard from Jinjing was a surprised gasp.

Before I could say a word, Lord Lan spoke ahead. “I’ll also deduct that from your salary.”

I swallowed back the cordial words that I was about to recite with full sincerity and instead simply said, “Thank you.”

*****

RUAN YANJUN

I squinted as I watched those two lovebirds smile and hug each other once again. Until now, I still could not accept that such a fine young priest would have to settle with an aging prostitute for a lover.

Has the world run out of slightly more decent women?

My blood roiled in anger, but I tried to appear calm and unaffected.

“Here,” she handed him his walking stick with a silk cloth wrapped around the handle.

He took the stick and fumbled for the silk. “Maybe I should leave this behind for now. I might lose it.”

“No,” she promptly objected. “So you’ll remember to come back.”

“I promise you… I will be back.”

She smiled at him and I was about to roll my eyes.

“Are you through with your sweet nothings?” I asked in an exasperated tone. “The horses are getting restless.”

“Oh.” She lowered her head and stepped back, but they looked at each other again and smiled for another time before Luo Fan climbed into the carriage.

I looked at the woman. “He might not be back for a while. Make sure the repairs are finished when he returns. I can’t stand seeing a very notable man living in such a dire condition.”

She bowed down. “Yes, my lord.”

“And if someone comes looking for him, tell them that Ruan Yanjun has taken him away.”

She gasped in shock. “Is his lord’s real name…”

“Not necessarily,” I interrupted. “But that should scare them off.”

I turned my back on her, leaving her speechless and confused.

I climbed into the carriage and sat down beside Luo Fan.

He was quiet and seemed anxious.

“I’ve already taken care of your wife’s needs,” I said. “What are you still worried about?”

He turned to me. “I’m just concerned. I am already indebted to you while I have not even started my job.”

“Don’t worry about it. As long as you attend to your duties sincerely, whether you succeed or not, you don’t have to concern yourself about paying me back.”

He breathed a sigh of relief. “I appreciate your consideration, my lord. The more reason I have to put all my effort into this job.”

“You should. Your own life depends on your success. Saving that man’s life also saves yours.”

He nodded. “Lord Lan is correct.”

“How’s your vision?” I asked. “How much can you see?”

“If there’s enough light, I can see silhouettes of objects, but when it’s dark, I can hardly determine anything.”

I looked inside the carriage. The window was open so there was enough light inside. “Right now, what do you see?”

“I can see his lordship’s outline like a shadow. Other than that, there’s nothing else. No face, no colors or anything.”

I nodded.

Knowing that he could not see more than just a shadow, I took the liberty to stare at him.

He was indeed beautiful. It felt like I was staring at an ethereal being, radiating gentleness and warmth. He looked so captivating that I found myself drawn and unable to blink.

If I could convince this beauty to join my sect, I’d implant a dark core in him and have him master the Devil’s Charm spell. With his captivating beauty, neither man nor woman could resist him.

I smiled devilishly. As early as now, I could already see the greatness that he would be, and I shall be the one to create a darker version of this light-core priest. He’d also learn to refine using dark energy instead of light, or maybe both. It really would not matter as long as he was a disciple of the great Eternal Damnation Sect.

My eyes happened to settle on the stick he was holding. It distracted me from daydreaming.

“Why do you ask, my lord?” he asked.

I was suddenly awakened and had no idea what he was talking about. “What did I ask?”

“About my eyes.”

I nodded as I remembered I did ask him about his eyes earlier before I got distracted by his beauty. “I wanted to make a comparison, and I have to say that you’re luckier. The man you are about to save has completely lost his sight.”

“His affliction seems worse than mine.”

“I think it’s the same. It’s only because you had better resistance than he had by the time you were afflicted, so you were able to resist the blunt of the damage. Compared to you, he is only a fourth level.”

He looked at me in surprise. “Is Lord Lan saying that the affliction had taken place when my cultivation had not yet been nullified?”

“How else were they able to capture you and nullify your cultivation?”

He lowered his head as if he was pondering about the past.

I smirked. “Don’t tell me you did not fight back when you learned that they were going to nullify the cultivation that you have worked your whole life for.”

He pressed his lips together and swallowed as if a realization had dawned upon him and he could not accept it. “I did, but they managed to subdue me. At that time, I thought that my weakness was attributed to the long and harsh torture that I had to suffer as punishment for my crime.”

“Now, you’re starting to see the missing pieces of the puzzle.”

He did not say anything and looked away. I understood that he did not wish to speak about it.

He was probably still in denial. He could not believe that those people that he had considered a family would do something so terrible to him.

His grip tightened around the stick until his knuckles turned white.

The priest seemed to be losing his unwavering calmness.

But his anger was brief. A short moment later, his grip loosened and he gently stroked the silk wrapped around the stick instead, as if doing so would give him comfort.

I squinted at the sight of it. I really hated that stick. “Why do you have to carry that stick with you? You can still easily find your way even without that.”

“I need it when it’s dark and there’s no light around. And it’s also a gift.”

I frowned. “You call that trash a gift? It looks more like firewood to me.”

“This stick may not have any value to Lord Lan, but it is precious to me. I also don’t have any weapon, so this will do.”

“Don’t you have a sword?”

“I had. My master had given me one of his swords that had been passed down to him by his ancestors, but I had left it behind. I am no longer worthy to carry that sword.”

I laughed deeply. “It’s that sword that’s not worthy of you.”

He blinked, confused. “Lord Lan, I don’t understand why you think so highly of me.”

“Weren’t you the Divine Mage? And a grandmaster at the same time?”

“Lord Lan, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but that is the past. I have moved on from it. I will never be that person again.”

“As long as you still possess the knowledge that you have accumulated, all those that you have lost can be earned once again.”

“I’m afraid it’s no longer possible. I’ve lost my core and there’s no way to revive it. Even if I get cured of this illness and rebuild my foundation, it’s no longer possible to implant me with another core. Without a core, I can only climb back to level three at most. And without my core, I cannot summon the needed energy to refine anything more than ordinary pills. So I cannot be the Divine Mage ever again.”

“Give me your hand.”

At first, he was hesitant, but a moment later, he slowly extended his left hand towards me.

I placed three fingers on his wrist.

It was very faint, but his light core still existed. He was just too weak to recognize it.

But I would not tell him that. Not yet.

My lips curved to a wicked smile.

“If I provide you a source of light energy, can you refine with it?” I asked.

He tugged his hand back to his lap. “It is possible, but I need one from a high-level. For some elixirs, it might require a master level. And I don’t think any master would want their energies absorbed for refinery purposes. It would take them days to recover.”

I smirked. “Let me worry about those things. Your job is to identify whatever poison you have ingested and then find a cure. When you’re ready to refine, I’ll handle the resources.”

He cupped his hands before his chest and lowered his head to me. “I understand, my lord.”

The bamboo stick fell and he bent down to pick it up. It shattered my mood once again.

I really hated the sight of it.

“If I gave you a fine sword and a good staff for finding your way, will you get rid of that stick?”

“I’m afraid I cannot give this up, my lord. It has a sentimental value to me. I apologize.”

I sighed and looked away.

What the hell is so precious about a bamboo stick? It only ruins the lucrative interior of my carriage.

“My lord, I have one question if you don’t mind,” he said.

“You may ask, but I may not give you an answer.”

He nodded. “Last night at the restaurant, Grandmaster Wang Bei called you Ruan Yanjun… Are you really Sect Leader Ruan Yanjun?”

I chortled. “If I answered your question, will you come with me to Kan Empire?”

He quickly looked away and did not say anything more.

I smirked.

He was still unsure about coming along with me he’d rather not know the answer to his question.

But his hesitation did not bother me much. After this, after he’d feel indebted to me, after I showered him with generosity and kindness, he would not be able to refuse me. He would go with me wherever I asked him to return a favor.