AZI Volume 4 Chapter 30

Pondering the question that Long Hua had raised, the creator of this world sinks into silence. Eventually—

[…I see. That might just be an interesting turn of events. The idea of perfection is subjective, as mortals would say. Perhaps, all my previous failures were due to me not granting my subjects enough freedom. However… Hmm. Though interesting, it is just as concerning as well. The amount of freedom to grant, and the restrictions to set…]

Despite not being able to see this person's face, Long Hua can easily imagine them having a smile of amusement on at this time, causing him to click his tongue, and ask—

"Anyone ever tell you that you're a real unpleasant bastard?"

Laughing lightly, the person ignores the question, and says—

[Once you exit out of this world, you shall find yourself on a hospital bed. The people who went into the ruins' treasury with you—I've taken the liberty to erase their memories of what had happened after the explosives went off. All they'll recall is the fact that they had managed to find a pile of treasure, and somehow managed to escape. Also, as you've made your breakthrough in this world, there's no need to be concerned with tribulations.]

Raising an eye, Long Hua asks—

"Am I supposed to thank you for that?"

[You're free to do so.]

"Second question… Why did you pick my clan—out of all the possible clans out there?"

[A mere whim. The location of your clan just so happens to be close to me when I reawakened. Maybe, it could have even been considered a stroke of bad luck?]

Towards this answer, Long Hua smiles, seemingly on the verge of wanting to laugh, while thinking—

(It's so simplistic, to the point of it being insulting.)

[I assume you have no other questions to ask?]

"Can't think of anything, so I guess not."

As the giant white serpent's azure-colored eyes give off a brighter glow, Long Hua immediately feels unsteady on his feet.

...…

Carrying a three-feet sword on his back, Qing Ming Yang, who is dressed in a black set of robes over a grey layer—walks into a garden, which acts as the central area of a traditional courtyard-styled home.

The garden itself is quite large, 20 plots in total, all of which are tended to by a single individual.

"What is it?"

Straightening his back, and holding a watering pot in their right hand—is an old man with white hair and a long beard.

"Elder Hou."

Clasping his hands together, Qing Ming Yang greets the old man, who is dressed in red robes over a white layer.

The name of the old man is Hóu Cháng Fēng, an elder of the Ling Yuan family, who belongs to the disciplinary hall.

Drawing in a deep breath, Qing Ming Yang reports—

"A few moments ago, Elder Wang's jade slip that contains his divine senses had shattered."

"…"

Setting the watering pot down, Hou Chang Feng places his hands behind his back, and gestures for Qing Ming Yang to continue with his chin, to which, the latter explains—

"According to records, Elder Wang was a participant in the previous harvest, who never returned. If he survived the Leng Bing Realm's reset, it means he was inside of an area that managed to escape the wipe-out phenomenon. The fact that he suddenly died can mean one of two things. One, his lifespan ran out, or two, someone else killed him—possibly a weapon spirit."

Hearing up to here, Hou Chang Feng closes his eyes in contemplation.

Wang Bei Mu being alive but trapped inside the Leng Bing Realm—this is something that the higher-ups of the Ling Yuan family were already aware of. The reason he was left there was to use him as an alarm.

"Ming Yang, take a few clansmen with you, and head into the Leng Bing Realm. This should be obvious, but make sure to set your entry coordinates to some place away from the edge. As it is an investigation, heading in with your actual bodies will be more efficient."

Pausing here, Hou Chang Feng waits for Qing Ming Yang to give a nod first, before adding—

"I believe… The inner domain and the outer domain of the realm have started to make exchanges. By normal standards, it's far too soon for another reset to occur."

"May Elder Hou advise—in what order shall we scout out the realm?"

"Inner domain first. After that, head into the outer domain. Prioritize keeping yourselves alive to report your findings."

Thinking for a brief instance, Hou Chang Feng continues to say—

"Make contact with the Four Pillars, and ask them what they make of the situation. As for…"

Hesitation appears in Hou Chang Feng's dark eyes, as he thinks of the fifth individual to ask about Leng Bing Realm's current situation.

"Ai, whatever, just pay that special individual a visit, and see if they're willing to say anything."

"Understood."

Not holding any expectations towards the fifth person, Hou Chang Feng picks up the watering pot, and gestures for Qing Ming Yang to be on his way.

Bidding farewell to Hou Chang Feng, Qing Ming Yang's blue eyes gave off a sharp gleam, while thinking—

(I'll definitely have to invite surnamed Xia for this.)

The two individuals, who had hired them for the task of getting rid of Yao Ying—stated that she has yet to die, and when asked for proof, they had said that her divine sense-holding jade slip had yet to shatter.

(Tch. As a means to get payment, we ended up saying that the jade slip is most likely unable to track her within the Leng Bing Realm. Nevertheless, we should take this chance to confirm that the Chen Shi family's little princess has indeed died. And if she is still alive, killing her for certain will settle this matter once and for all.)

Recalling how Yun Mo Tong, Yao Ying's maternal grandfather had acted—after hearing that she had gone missing right after leaving the Ling Yuan family's estate, Qing Ming Yang can't help but shiver.