by Tinalynge
“Do you need any help?” He asked the moment he saw Hui Yue. Although he spent all his time cultivating, Xu Piao knew that this newfound hope came from Hui Yue, and as a result, he was always willing to do anything for this friend of his. Even if it meant traveling to hell and back.
“I am looking for someone who can tell me what has happened these past few days I’ve been gone,” Hui Yue sighed as he looked around but although Xu Piao heard the request all he could do was shake his head.
“I have been within my room for a week straight now. I’m afraid I know even less than you of what has been going on.”
“Yeah don’t worry about it,” Hui Yue said as he waved his hand at Xu Piao. “Be careful, though,” He continued with a warning, “You need to ensure that you balance your Yin and Yang energies perfectly. If you have too much Yang, it will be impossible for you to advance to the next rank, and eventually, it will halt your cultivation and force you to stay at the rank you are now.”
This was the reason why even Hui Yue did not spend all his time training. If he did, his energies would be unbalanced which would make it much harder for him to advance. He was definitely not willing to do this so during the day his body would naturally absorb and refine Yang energy, yet it was done at a slower pace than if he was cultivating, and during the night he would cultivate with his full focus on absorbing as much Yin energy as was possible. Although he was a genius for having already reached the King rank, Hui Yue was far from satisfied. Having met creatures such as Wan Qiao and the Frozen General, he knew just how weak he really was and how much he need to train.
“I know,” Xu Piao replied with a pained expression on his face. “Although I wish I could cultivate all the time, I’m aware that this is impossible. I will not jeopardize my chance to advance don’t worry. Soon I will become an Emperor.” Hearing this, a smile appeared on Hui Yue’s face as he said his goodbyes and left the room. Hesitating slightly, Hui Yue went to another room and knocked on the door.
This door was one he had visited countless times the last week, yet no matter how many times he visited, not even once had it opened. By now he was wondering if the person whom this room belonged to would ever return. Once again nothing but silence could be heard, and a sigh escaped Hui Yue’s lips as he turned around and to leave.
Just as he turned around, he heard a clicking sound and the door slowly opened. It revealed an outstandingly beautiful snake-woman. Her body was as alluring as ever, and her eyes mesmerizing and bright. Looking at this woman, even someone like Hui Yue could not help but swallow his saliva in astonishment.
His daze did not last long as a giant grin appeared on his face. “Sha Yun!” He called out excitedly, “Where have you been? I have been so insanely worried about you. Are you okay? Have you found new friends? Is it because of me?” Questions rained down on the snake-woman who was standing there completely at a loss about which question she should answer first, but looking at the young man in front of her, and seeing the excited expression on his face, a warmth spread through her body and a gentle smile appeared on her lips.
“Come inside,” She offered as she moved to the side, and Hui Yue quickly slipped into the room curious about what exactly his good friend had been doing these last many weeks.
Chapter 332 - The Return of Sha Yun
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Chapter 332: The Return of Sha Yun
Following the snake-woman into her room, Hui Yue sat down on a chair and looked at the woman in front of him. She looked the exact same as he remembered, as mesmerizing as always with pride shining in her silver eyes.
Smiling at the woman, Hui Yue waited for her to sit down next to him, but instead she placed herself on her bed, a good distance away from him, something which caused a frown to appear on the handsome face.
“I have been worried about you recently,” Hui Yue repeated. “I know you are big enough to take care of yourself, and I do not fear that you had done anything wrong, it is just so weird not having you around,” He said to her with an apologetic smile. “Is it because of my emotions? You ought to know that although I don’t love you as a woman, I still see you as one of my closest friends. I really don’t want to hurt you, but at the same time I understand that being around me will hurt you.”
Hui Yue paused for a moment as he looked at the snake-woman in front of him. She had said nothing but a sad gleam appeared from deep within her deep eyes. “I don’t know what you want from me.” He said with a sigh, “I don’t know if you want me to leave you alone for some time, or if you want me to come searching for you. I need you to tell me what you want from me.” He continued, “I will do anything you ask so long as I am able to help you out. I don’t wish to break the bond I have with you, nor do I wish to hurt you. All I want is to see you happy.” He sighed.
Seeing the complicated expression on Hui Yue’s face, Sha Yun’s eyes turned increasingly tender and a warm smile spread on her face. “I need some time for myself,” She said with a low voice. “My feelings are so strong that they will never change, but I need to come to terms with reality. I just so happen to have found a group of cultivators with mixed blood where I fit in perfectly. We cultivate together and sometimes goes out hunting magical beasts much like a team of mercenaries. It is exciting.” She said in a light voice, “When I am with them I can enjoy myself in a way I haven’t in a long time. They are good friends, but no matter what you will always be the one whom I care for the most,” She said as her gentle eyes looked straight into the deep ice-blue ones that were watching her from across the room.
“I am glad to hear that you’ve been doing well. But you have to know that I will always be here for you,” He continued. “If you ever feel like you need a hug or just someone to talk to then I will be here. Even if I cannot give you exactly what you want, I can still give you an everlasting friendship,” A tender smile was present on his face as Hui Yue looked at Sha Yun, and seeing the emotion within her deep eyes he could only sigh.
“I know,” She whispered in a low voice as she nodded her head. “I know that you will always be there for me, and one day I’ll be satisfied with just that. Right now, though, I still need to think about other things and try to keep myself preoccupied. I am going out with my group of friends again tonight, and we will be back in about a week. Don’t worry about me; I will make sure that nothing happens.” She said with an excited smile on her face. It was clear that she was doing everything she could to preoccupy herself, and somehow it seemed to work.
Nodding, Hui Yue stood up and as he was about to leave he turned around and dragged Sha Yun into his warm embrace. Holding her for a moment, he felt how the snake-woman’s body at first was completely rigid, but she slowly relaxed. “Remember that your home is here by my side. You really are an important friend to me, so take good care of yourself,” He mumbled into her ear before he let her go. With a wave of his hand, he left the room leaving behind a stunned Sha Yun.
Leaving the room the lingering feeling of having hugged the snake-woman remained on Hui Yue, and the feeling of her soft body made him smile a little. He was in a great mood ever since he found out what Sha Yun was spending her time doing, and even more so when he realized that she did not hate towards him. That he had embraced her on impulse was something that had shocked even him, but he felt like it was needed. She was, after all, a very important person to him.
Looking around, he sighed as he mumbled, “One woman down, just one more to go.” And he slowly walked towards Wang Ju Long’s room. Sha Yun was not the only woman who had seemingly tried to avoid Hui Yue; Wang Ju Long had done the exact same ever since he had returned home and now it was simply too much for the white-haired young man. He needed to know what her feelings were so that he could move forward.
Knocking on Wang Ju Long’s door no one answered not even after he waited for half an hour, so Hui Yue came to the conclusion that Wang Ju Long had left the mansion to go and train with the experts at the infirmary.
Contemplating what to do
next, Hui Yue understood that there was no one within the mansion apart from Sha Yun and Xu Piao. He had already spoken with both of them. Scratching his chin, he started to wonder if he should go to the Black Lion, or if he should go see the Ma family and inform them about Cou Ling’s decision. Both places should have some information about what had transpired in the last few days.
“I guess the Black Lion would have a bit more information than what Ma Kong has. Since it is information I need, I better pay Gao Yan a visit,” He mumbled to himself as he left the mansion. Seeing him leave the guards were at a loss. He had just returned, yet a few hours after he left once more. Was he going to vanish once again? Looking at each other, both of them saw the unsaid question in the other’s eyes, but all they could do was shake their heads. They knew that they were not entitled to ask questions about what their employer had planned.
Hui Yue had been in Muchuan City for long enough to thoroughly know his way around town but even though he knew the way around town, he still had issues getting to the Black Lion quickly. There were simply far too many people present on the streets.
Muchuan City was the capital of the kingdom, and it was densely packed with houses in the poorer areas. During the day these families would be selling items at the marketplaces; they would sell food at food stalls, beg or even steal to make a living. Looking at the horde of people in front of him, Hui Yue could only sigh deeply as he tried to get past them somehow.
Suddenly, just as he was about to push his way past a few fat experts, he suddenly sensed a small hand slip past his clothes, and out of reflex, Hui Yue grabbed the small hand which now contained some of Hui Yue’s memory stones.
Seeing that he had been caught the face of the thief turned increasingly pale, but he did not panic and did not try to run away. He seemed as though he knew that it would be pointless.
Pulling the arm, Hui Yue entered a small alleyway where there were no people and finally turned around to look at the thief in front of him. Looking at the young man, he quickly found that he could not be more than ten years at most. His face was filled with a childish charm, but a stubbornness and fierce expression were visible in his eyes; no fear could be seen.
Smiling at the young man, Hui Yue took some time to look at him and the more he did, the more impressed he became. “Kid, why are you not going to martial school instead of stealing? That way you will get a free meal daily alongside training to become much stronger. Strength is needed, especially if you want to be a thief. Anyone would be able to catch you as you are now.” He said with a frown on his face, but the young boy only frowned looking at Hui Yue as if he were stupid. “It might be true that I will get a meal, but what about my sister?” He asked. “I am ten years old, so I can enter school, but she is merely seven. Without me providing for her, she would die within the month.” He said, and the stubbornness in his eyes grew increasingly intense. Looking at this young man, Hui Yue felt great respect. He had chosen a worse path for himself but in doing so he could look after the person who truly mattered to him.
‘Let me check him out. I think he might have a rather good talent for cultivating. If he is groomed the right way, becoming a Saint should not be a hard goal for him. In fact, I think his talent is stronger than yours if we do not count all those weird phenomena within your lower dantian.’
Hearing this Hui Yue was greatly taken aback, but he was here for the sake of creating a faction and to do so he needed strong individuals. Right now what he needed was allies, and this young man was likely to become a great help in the future.
A ripple of energy suddenly left Hui Yue’s body and the young boy just stared at him, completely shocked. Finally, a bit of fear appeared in his eyes. If he died his sister would without a doubt die as well, that was something he could not afford.
“Calm down kid; I won’t kill you,” A voice sounded from the cultivator in front of the young boy, a voice completely different from the voice that he had just heard. This one sounded arrogant and even more powerful. However hearing that he would not kill him, the hammering heart in the chest of the young boy slowly stilled, though he was still hesitant and on high alert.
“Give me your arm. I need to check something,” He said with great authority and without thinking about it, the young boy did exactly that. Grabbing the arm, Hui Yue placed two thumbs on the boy’s wrist and inserted a thread of his Qi into the younger boy’s body.
Smiling, he noticed that this Qi was greedily being absorbed by him, like when the ground absorbs water after a draught. Seeing this, the smile on Hui Yue’s face increased and yet another ripple of energy came from his body as Hui Yue took over.
The reason that ripples appeared was because the souls of Hui Yue and Lan Feng had grown considerably. The stronger their souls became, the more energetic the ripples would become. The young boy in front of him was completely frozen in place, and unable to understand what had happened, but he was sure that this mysterious white-haired young man had nothing bad planned for him.
“Take me to your sister. Afterwards, you two will follow me, and I will ensure that both of your lives are decent. What is your name?” Looking at Hui Yue skeptically the young boy finally opened his mouth, “Lao.” Lao was the only thing he said. There was no other name, or anything. His only name was Lao as he had never been given any other name by his parents.
“What is the name of your sister?” He asked, and Lao looked at him for a short while before answering the question, “Her name is Jo.”
“None of you have last names?” Hui Yue asked curiously, and Lao shook his head. “Jo and I are not blood-related, but I found her when she was a baby. To me, she is everything,” He answered honestly. He felt comfortable next to Hui Yue, and he saw the older man nod his head once more.
“Take me to your little sister first,” He repeated. Lao nodded his head before he led Hui Yue into the lowest part of town. The stench was incomparable, and the sewer was overflowing. Everyone he looked at was as poor as Lao. Looking around, Hui Yue was uncertain how people could live this way.
Chapter 333 - Investment
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Chapter 333: Investment
Although the surrounding area was so vile that even Hui Yue, who was quite good at being indifferent, had to admit that the living standards were appalling. He could truly not understand why so many people lived crowded together in this poor area, and his eyebrow rose as he looked at Lao. Although it was vile, he had long since learned how to live in such environment.
The walk through this part of town was quite long and Hui Yue soon understood that the further in one came, the more disgusting the living conditions were and the poorer the inhabitants. Finally, as they almost reached the city wall, Lao turned off the main street and headed down an alleyway.
Down this alley were countless of small sheds that could not house more than one or two people. If two people were within then, it would be impossible for them to move around much, and a third person entering the house would be completely impossible. It would collapse before that could happen.
Hui Yue did not belong in this kind of environment and his high-quality clothes quickly drew the attention of many beggars on the street, but although their eyes were filled with greed and indignation, none of them took the courage to actually attack him. They were painfully aware of their lack of strength, and someone who looked this stunning was definitely either a young master or an experienced mercenary.
He was someone far beyond their reach, yet for some reason, he was in this poor place. Looking at the young man who was leading him, everyone had a slight bit of pity in their eyes. None of them thought that Hui Yue was here to help the kid. No one helped people from their part of town.
Hui Yue was astonished when Lao stopped in front of a shed so small that he would not be able to fit within, yet Lao climbed inside as though it was natural for him. Moments after, he came out with a young girl in his embrace. This young child was clearly suffering from malnutrition. Her doe-like eyes were l
arge, and her cheeks hollow. Her body was petite. It was so small that she did not seem to be seven years old, and looking at her, Hui Yue was reminded of his own little brother whom he had not seen for many many years now. He had left cultivation techniques and enough materials for his little brother to live a good life, to use for proper cultivation for years, but although he had been able to leave things he could never leave a part of himself. He wondered if his smaller brother held a grudge against him. Sighing deeply, he buried the emotions within his heart and looked at the two siblings in front of him.
“Okay, the two of you pack your things and follow me,” He said. “I will take you in. From now on your names are Hui Jo and Hui Lao,” He said. “You will be living with me. I will make sure that you will never again starve, and that you will have a bright future. The only thing I want in return is that you when you get older support me if I should ever need your help.” He said with a smile, and Lao stared at him as though he had fallen from the sky. His eyes reddened, and suddenly two tears fell from them. “You… You will give us a last name?” He asked stuttering, and Hui Yue nodded his head. “You will give us food and a home?” He asked again. Once more Hui Yue nodded his head. His heart hurt to see just how disbelieving this young man was. “I will follow you forever if you do what you promised,” The young boy said, his eyes filled with determination.