0008.

"Who are you, Su Jin?" Commander Fang can't help but blurt out as he can't make sense of anything. His inner instinct was right all along, everything has been played out by this Su Jin.

A sharp sword strike hissed, faster than anyone could react, and stopped at Commander Fang's neck. 

The Dark Figure, Su Jin's guard, had moved with inhuman speed. Red eyes glowing beneath its hat seemed to pierce through Fang, a silent warning to stay silent. Even as a veteran of many Martial skirmishes, Fang felt a jolt of fear. 

He hadn't reacted, hadn't even sensed the attack. He was dead, a single, clean stroke away, if the blade hadn't halted mere inches from his neck.

Wu Yan, still utterly confused, still holding tight the Earthly Mandate in his fist looked at Su Jin with pleading eyes.

"Answer the question." Su Jin was calm and yet a little tense.

"You can ask this child, he lost it. I have nothing to say…" Wu Yan's eyes quivered, a wave of relief washing over him as if a heavy weight had lifted from his shoulders. He took a long, shuddering breath, the air filling his lungs like a lifeline. 

Exhausted and drained, he slumped to the floor, everything drained from his body.

Su Jin came close to his face. "You heard it all." He opened his hand again and the hologram of the capsule-like object returned. "Where did you see this?" Su Jin asked.

"Who are you?" Wu Yan asked nervously, the glow of the Earthly Mandate in his fist dimmed to vanish.

Su Jin's gaze narrowed. "My identity is irrelevant. This," he gestured towards the hologram, his voice laced with urgency, "is what matters. Where did you see it?" Su Jin calmly asked.

Wu Yan wanted to defy it; this was the man who was taking advantage of his mother just a moment ago. But deep down, he knew he couldn't afford to. It wasn't worth it at all.

"I did no such thing, whatever you think I did with your mother," Su Jin assured Wu Yan.

Wu Yan was not sure if he wanted to believe it or not but he had no choice. "Yes, this is the Soul Artifact I found in the Holy Serpent Sect's Secret Realm, in their Emerald Serpent Hunt event."

He sighed, a hint of unease creeping into his voice. "It spoke to me, its voice eerily similar to...that of Wang Changsheng." Even now, a shiver ran down his spine at the memory.

"And then?" Su Jin pressed, his impatience growing.

"I wasn't a prodigy before," Wu Yan confessed, his voice dropping. "Our family was on the brink of collapse. But the Artifact...it promised me power, a way out."

"In return for?" Su Jin inquired, his tone sharp.

"Secrecy. Never to reveal its existence," Wu Yan muttered. "It helped me initially, but then it refused further assistance. It wanted me to stay hidden, to avoid drawing attention." He shook his head in regret. "Ambitious fool that I was, I ignored its warnings. I craved power, wealth, and a quick rise in status. Mayor Yi Nang's daughter, Yi Qing, became my target."

"The Artifact's influence turned me into a prodigy," Wu Yan continued, a hint of pride lacing his voice despite the circumstances. "Everyone saw my talent. Yi Qing practically fawned over me, catering to my every whim. I felt unstoppable!"

"What happened then?"

"Then..." Wu Yan winced, a sharp pain lancing through his head. "The Artifact...it started berating me for my recklessness. In my arrogance, I grew tired of its constant guidance. One day, in a fit of rage, I threw it away."

Su Jin's composure seemed to crack for a moment, a flicker of disbelief crossing his face. "You threw it away?" This was unexpected, even for him. "Where?" he asked, his voice regaining its calm, yet laced with a newfound urgency.

"In the..." Another jolt of pain interrupted Wu Yan, his face contorting in agony.

"What is it?" Su Jin noticed his distress.

"My head, it's..." He winced in pain. "I...don't know...I...I don't remember."

Su Jin squinted his eyes, observing Wu Yan intently. "You do not remember what?"

"I...don't remember having these memories," Wu Yan stammered, clutching his head. "What is happening to me?"

"You are questioning your own memories? Why?" Su Jin asked as if this sudden development wasn't entirely unexpected.

"I don't know! I don't know!" Wu Yan cried out, the pain in his head intensifying. Suddenly, the Earthly Mandate in his fist began to glow brightly, bathing him in a warm light. A wave of relief washed over him as the unbearable pain subsided.

"Who are you?" Wu Yan asked again. "Why are you looking for the Soul Artifact?" 

"That's not a Soul Artifact," Su Jin declared, a hint of displeasure in his voice. "It's called a Null-Point Core Reactor." He knew his explanation was likely beyond their comprehension, but he pressed on regardless. "Where did you throw it?"

Wu Yan, still clutching his head and reeling from the memory surge, mumbled, "I...I don't know."

"Hmm…" Su Jin stood up thinking of something. 

Su Jin's gaze shifted from Wu Yan to Commander Fang, then back again. A flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes before he composed himself once more.

"We'll find it," Su Jin stated, his tone firm and unwavering. "No matter what it takes." He turned to look at Wu Yan.

"Do you want to know the truth?" Su Jin asked Wu Yan, his voice carrying a weight of authority, as if delivering a Heavenly Edict.

Unknowingly, Wu Yan nodded. At that moment, Su Jin no longer appeared to him as some mere scumbag villain.

"Return the Earthly Mandate to Commander Fang." He commanded. "R1, let Commander go." 

R1, the dark figure, his guard quickly obeyed, sheathed his sword, and stood behind Su Jin's chair.

"Commander Fang, defend the city, then we will talk." Su Jin ordered.

"I do not take orders from you boy, no matter how magnanimous you are." Commander Fang strictly declined.

"We will see, now please attend to your duties." Su Jin caresses the cheek of Madam Wu Mei. "Help them Dear." Madam Wu Mei stood up like an obedient servant and left the floor.

A moment later she returned with a few other helpers and started cleaning the floor, dragging bodies and other things.

Commander Fang, still utterly confused, approached Wu Yan and snatched the Earthly Mandate from him before carefully lifting Yi Qing and leaving the floor.

Wu Yan, still bewildered, watched as his mother worked like a maid alongside a few other helpers, while Su Jin sat in his chair, sipping tea and making faces as if he were drinking something awful.

With a heavy sigh, Wu Yan stood up and came closer to check on his unconscious father. He still couldn't digest what had transpired so much, so quickly, as he kept glancing at his mother. He felt very uncomfortable and found it unacceptable.

Quickly, the entire floor was spotlessly cleaned of blood and other things. New curtains were placed, along with some extra furniture and a table full of food and snacks.

"Come, sit," Su Jin invited Wu Yan casually, as if they were old friends. Wu Yan, sitting on the floor near his unconscious father Wu Zhi, was worrying about him, hoping he would wake up soon.

"Do not worry, your father is fine, he is just lightly poisoned, he will sleep for a day." Su Jin assured him.

Wu Yan felt confused and concerned upon hearing about how and when his father got poisoned but felt relieved knowing that sleep was the only effect. Reluctantly, he moved closer to Su Jin and took a seat opposite him, eyeing him warily.

Su Jin poured a cup of tea and slid it across the table to Wu Yan. "Drink," he urged gently. "You look like you could use it."

Wu Yan hesitated for a moment before picking up the cup and taking a cautious sip. The warm liquid soothed his nerves, and he felt a sense of calm wash over him.

"You have questions," Su Jin with a knowing smile, his gaze fixed on Wu Yan.

Wu Yan nodded slowly, his mind still reeling from the revelations of the past few moments. "Who are you, really?" he asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

Su Jin leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You will not understand even if I answer honestly," he replied cryptically. "But for now, I am Su Jin, General Store Merchant."

"A General Store Merchant?" Wu Yan furrowed his brow, the term unfamiliar.

"Precisely," Su Jin said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I sell everything, from baby products to the weapons of war, from groceries to artifacts, beauty products to life-saving Elixirs, from rare and exotic animals to the services of the most questionable nature, everyday necessities to the extraordinary, all at the right price, of course."