4 Deal
Next morning Zack woke up after a refreshing whole night sleep, he sat up in his bed and stretched his stiff muscles.
'Hmm, today I have to first use the new skills I got yesterday, even though my proficiency has reached the max level with them, I still should get familiar with them beforehand' He made his plans for the day in his head and then stood up to take shower.
He put on a black hoodie which had a snake on the back and black jeans, he gets new pair from system daily for free.
He made breakfast for himself, it obviously turned out to be as good as yesterday.
'damn, should I open a restaurant? I will be famous in the whole universe.' He thought after taking a bite.
After finishing his meal, he went to the backyard to test his new abilities.
Standing on the grass which was still wet due to dew, he circulated the Mana in his body with help of Mana mastery skill.
It was obviously a passive skill, before when he used Mana he felt like he was pulling a cart on a straight road, there was some difficulty but it was still possible but now he felt like he was pushing the same cart on a downhill, it became so much easier than before that if he wasn't experiencing it personally, he might would've a hard time to believe this.
Feeling satisfied with his discovery, he made a ball of pure Mana in his hand, then with his elemental mastery skill(passive) he infused fire element in the said ball of fire.
He expected it to become a fireball but beyond his imaginations the ball of Mana only changed its color a little, with his elemental mastery he could tell that the fire laws were still intact...
This shocked him greatly, so this mean that he can't create spells just by this. He thought that a fireball is just as simple as infusing Mana in fire laws.
From his previous life's knowledge, he recollected that combustion needs three prerequisites, this in turn made him think of other possibilities, can he use his mastery over air element for combustion? Then what should be the combustible substance?
After a few minutes of pondering he got a crazy idea, can't he just use hydrogen in the air as the combustible material.
He decided to test his theory, by controlling wind element he collected hydrogen gas from the atmosphere at one point few meters way from him then mixed oxygen and fire laws.
The result was a small explosion and the tree nearby got destroyed.
(A/n: this is nothing but BS, I don't know much chemistry, please don't mind me. Just accept it as novel logic)
He was just testing the waters for now, but what if he used this on a much bigger scale, didn't it mean that he has the ability to create personal nukes?
Now that he was done with that he started concentrating on his other abilities, he can't use telepathy right now because he was alone and he doesn't have anything to nullify for now.
But seeing the results of his other abilities he knew that he would be able to use them like his sixth finger.
Shaking off these thoughts he focused on his last skill, this was the skill he was looking forward to most.
Cosmic shift, it is an skill which utilizes space element to teleport the user from one place to another instantly, it had many restrictions when it was not evolved but now this skill can take him to anywhere, given he knew the space coordinates or has already visited the place previously.
He finished his experiments early then he initially expected so he decided to travel back to the blue wind empire or more specifically, floating cloud city.
Why did he decided to go there?
Well, it was the most obvious choice at this point, by going there he could determine the current timeline and if he was lucky enough could even meet the future moon god emperor.
There is also the case of Jasmine, to be honest, he didn't wanted to leave her with the protagonist for obvious reasons.
He wasn't giving himself too much credit, but he felt like he is better than Yun che and could even help her even now.
Making his plans, he went out and reduced the size of the house and it changed into a small toy.
"ok system, let's go to floating cloud city." He commanded as a navigation arrow appeared and pointed at a certain direction.
By using his skill soaring sky, he took off into the air and started heading towards the floating cloud city.
It took him less than an hour to reach the starting village of against the gods. He could've reached faster with his maxed level flying skill but this small City was on the outskirts of the kingdom, no doubt the sects from capital never put them in their eyes.
He landed in a mountain nearby because he knew that in this world only practitioners at sky profound and above could fly in the sky, nevermind sky profound they didn't even have an earth profound in this place.
He entered the city walking in a casual but confident manner, in his previous life he had to attend many social gatherings with his family so he was obviously taught social skills.
He walked up to a young lady maybe in her late twenties who was doing some chores.
"Greetings, may I ask this pretty lady the direction to the Xiao clan." He greeted and politely asked, he felt a little awkward talking in this manner but he knew that the people talked this way in this world.
"Of course, this junior brother have to just go straight up to that alley and then take a right, you will find the Xiao clan's gate" She nodded and answered back.
"thank you, I had some business with the clan elder Xiao lie." Zack said, normally we would never disclose such things to strangers but for now he was trying to dig out information.
"oh elder lie, I don't know about that, he is prominent elder in this city, you may not be able to meet him... Not to mention he is busy arranging his grandson's marriage" She commented trying to warn him to not waste his time.
Zack smirked internally, it is so easy to collect information, now he knew that the plot is about to start soon, he decided to pry for more in hope of discovering more.
"Marriage? I am sorry I wasn't here for quite some time, I don't know about the current situation" Zack said with an embarrassed look on his face while scratching the back of his neck.
The woman chuckled a little before saying "It's alright, the grandson of clan elder Xiao lie, Xiao che is getting married to Xia Qingyue in a week. I assume you already know about the Xia clan."
Zack nodded his head with a smile on his face "Thank you for informing me of all this, now I should be on my way then."
Then he decided to part ways with the young woman, while following the route told by her he started pondering.
'So, the plot will start in a week, I should also make my own preparations then.' he thought with an internal smirk.
He arrived in front of a large gate in a few minutes which had Xiao clan written in big characters.
He wasn't here to do anything to Xiao che, he was here to see his aunt Xiao lingxi.
In the novel, Xiao kuangyun had his eyes on her as well, so he thought she should be quite pretty if the young master of Xiao sect would find her so attractive, he wasn't giving him any credit but he just thought that there should be many pretty girls in the capital too.
By the way, he was here to see if there is some hope for her or not, he knew that it is portrayed that she is absolutely smitten with him, but we never know maybe she has some brain in the actual reality.
Zack always thought she had a nice personality and even if not a lover he still wanted to make her his little sister.
He used his mind controlling ability to command the gaurds to open the gate for him and then entered inside.
He casually strolled inside as if it was his own home, he 'asked' a disciple to tell him the location of Xiao lingxi's courtyard.
Arriving there he saw a small courtyard with some flowers in the backyard, it gave a very welcoming feel.
He steeped up to the door and knocked on it three times.
If he wanted he could've just sneaked inside but that would be a breach of privacy so he opted for a more direct approach.
The door opened to reveal a girl dressed in green looked to be 15 or 16 years of age. She was as fair as snow with charming rosy lips and a delicate nose. A touching look of deep surprise was expressed by eyes as clear and transparent as a pool of translucent spring water. Her face exuded a dazzling gentleness and softness.
"Who are you?" She asked with a surprised and a little puzzled expression.
"You can call me Zack, I am here to talk with you" Zack said with a gentle and heartwarming smile which makes it impossible to remain wary of him.
Lingxi was dazed for a moment before she quickly recollected himself, she could feel no Ill intention from the handsome man in front of her but she wasn't good at reading people in the first place.
She decided to trust her instincts and invited him inside politely.
Sitting on a chair, Zack looked at the beautiful girl sitting on the bed in front of him.
"Can I call you lingxi, I think it will be awkward to call you Miss Xiao or young miss" He asked with an amused tone, he was trying to see her personality, if she is the same then she will accept it without any problem.
"Of course, after all I am also calling you with your name" She said without even thinking twice.
Zack was happy as well as sad by this, this means that she still has that bright personality he liked but this also means that she already harbors romantic feelings for his nephew like in the novel.
He sighed internally but on the outside said with the same smile "Thank you, as for why am I here, it's something regarding the marriage of Xiao che and Xia Qingyue."
"Regarding the marriage?? What is it?" She asked with curiosity as well as some minor worry.
"I am afraid that this marriage will not be possible" He said with a solemn tone.
"What??!!" she shouted in surprise but Zack could feel slight anger also.
"Please let me finish first" He hurriedly added "I have heard some rumours that she is accepted as a disciple in one of the four big sects recently, because of her talent she is considered quite an asset, I'm afraid that the sect will disrupt the wedding and cause Xiao che to lose face" He explained to her, he didn't reveal Frozen cloud's but decided to tell her some of the information.
Lingxi was too shocked by this as she couldn't even form words, it took her a minutes to calm herself down.
"But they can be just rumours, it is not like it is gauranteed" She said with some hope in her voice.
"Maybe, but I just wanted to inform you so that you can be ready for any situation"
He walked out of her courtyard and made his way out of the Xiao clan.
'With the anger and surprise in her voice I can tell that she is very close to him, I hate to admit it but she is far from saving right now' he thought with some dissapointment.
He decided to reveal this information to her for a few reasons, first was obviously he wanted to see her reaction, second he has already decided to take Qingyue with him as he knew she was in that sect for just power and he could give her power quite easily, so it didn't matter much even if he revealed this... He was sure that she will pass on this information to the Xiao lie, he didn't wanted the old man to die from shock when he took his grand daughter in law.
Zack was in reality not that petty person to steal someone's wife but he knew that Qingyue is not someone that Yun che could control.
Zack walked down the street in a average pace, with some help from the people he managed to reach Xia manor, the gate similarly had Xia written in large characters.
He used mind control on gaurds again and made his way inside.
Passing through the front door he found himself standing in a large hall with a dinner table and a couch at the side where a young man with a sturdy and tall body was slumped, he wa over 2 meters tall, sensing someone's arrival his head jerked upwards and looked at Zack with curiosity.
Zack smiled at him and said in a clear voice "Hello yuanba, I am here as your sister's guest."
Yuanba looked at him with curiosity and surprise "how do you know my name? And why would big sister want to meet you?"
"You are quite famous yuanba, as for you second question it can only be answered by her"
In fact, yuanba wasn't that much of an idiot, it's just that Zack was using his eyes to give him an illusion that he was a trustable person.
"Fine, big sister is in her room as usual, I don't think she will meet you but you can try."
Zack smiled at his response and made his way to a room in which he saw a young woman cultivating with a veil on her face.
(A/n: I don't know if she still used a veil before going to the sect so I just assumed that she did.)
He was able to see through anything with his byakugan, these walls were nothing at all.
Zack stood in front of a door, without knocking he opened the door and entered inside. He knew that he won't get an answer if he knocked.
(Qingyue's POV)
I was cultivating in my room peacefully like usual when I heard the door opening.
A frown appeared on my face as I have already told father and yuanba to not enter my room.
But what I saw was not a familar face of my father or brother but a handsome young man looking about 17-18 years old.
He wore strange clothes but that only gave him a more attractive look.
But the most mysterious thing about him was that I couldn't sense any profound energy coming from him.
It was like he wasn't even standing there, I wouldn't even be able to sense him if he was not standing in front of my eyes.
If it was someone else I would've thought of them to be just a normal mortal but the same could not be said about him.
It was like his whole persona was daring me to move against him, I had no doubt that either he had some treasure to conceal his cultivation like mine or he is more stronger then me which would be logically impossible as he was not that old.
Wait a second!! What is he doing here in the first place??
I took a battle stance immediately.
"Who are you?" I said with a cold tone, I knew he is stronger then me but this is my home and he is the one who barged inside.
'Master said that she will come to meet me today, she will come in a few hours, I have to manage till then by myself'
But contrary to all my expectations he gave a gentle smile and spoke in a warm tone
"Don't just assume that I am an enemy when we haven't even exchanged greetings, Qingyue"
"How do you know my name?" I asked with a wary tone, 'he is too mysterious'.
"That's a very stupid question, everyone in this city knows who you are and by your beauty it isn't difficult to recognize you."
His answer made some sense, even I don't know why I asked him that. Maybe because I don't know anything about him, I can't even think with a clear mind. I have to calm down first, it seems like he isn't here to fight.
"Who are you and why are you here" I asked still keeping my gaurd up against him.
"Well, why should we not have a nice conversation."
(Third person POV)
Zack sat down on a nearby chair while Qingyue just remained standing, still wary of him.
Zack didn't mind, in fact he was impressed by her, he would've been too disappointed if she just trusted him so easily while they just met.
"I heard that you are tying the knot next week with Xiao che" He casually said to see her reaction.
"Just state your business" Qingyue said without replying to his comment.
"hmm, it seems frozen cloud Asgard really value you a lot to even go as far to change the rules"
Suddenly, the temperature of the room dropped several degrees as Qingyue's eyes widened in absolute shock.
Even her family didn't knew about this as she didn't wanted to break the engagement between Xiao clan, she didn't wanted to stay in someone's debt for whole of her life.
Zen didn't even felt anything, The pitiful amount of ice laws she was using was simply not worth his attention.
"But why are you so stubborn to marry him, don't tell me you fell in love with him and want to spend at least one night with him." Zen said in a teasing tone, he said this to see if her reason was still the same or not.
Qingyue managed to suppress her shock in a few moments and then said in a calm tone "I have no intention to consummate our marriage, it will just be in the name and nothing more" She didn't know why she was telling him this but she still just did.
Zack was not using any type of illusion on her, he wanted to hear her personal opinions and see her personality.
"I am here with a deal for you today" He said in a business-like manner.
Qingyue was a little surprised by the sudden change in his behaviour but it wasn't much.
She narrowed his eyes at him and said in a cold tone "I don't think you will have something to even tempt me."
Zack revealed a slight smirk and said "Even information about the Divine realm?"
Qingyue at this point didn't even knew what to feel, she had received too many surprises in a short period of time...
She never even in her wildest dreams imagined that someone will even know the know of that place after even her master didn't know about it.
She looked at the handsome young man straight in the eyes, his eyes held a mocking expression as if saying 'what now? Want to listen to me now?'
Qingyue didn't believe in him for obvious reasons but that look on his face made her have second thoughts.
What if he really knows? It will not hurt to at least listen to him, after all no one has ever heard of that place before.
These were her thoughts as she made up her mind.
"What is the deal you were taking about?" She asked a bit more polite than before.
"It is basically an exchange, I will give you information about the divine realm and in return you will have to give me something of equal value." Zack stated his offer and laid back on the chair waiting for her reply.
"I will give you anything you want as long as you give me the information." She firmly stated without even thinking twice.
Zack was a little surprised by her determination but was able to accept it quite easily, after all she joined that useless sect who had such absurd rules just to gain strength to reach the divine realm.
"We both know how valuable the information on realm of gods is, it is up to you what you want to exchange." Zack answered her in a casual manner.
Qingyue bit her lower lip with a complicated expression on her face, She knew that the information was very valuable and she didn't had anything to pay him back, even though she is considered very talented in frozen cloud Asgard, in the end she was still a disciple, she can't ask for some valuable treasure from them, not to mention she wasn't sure if that will be enough.
She could clearly know the meaning behind his words when he said that the information regarding that place is valuable but she didn't wanted to give her body to just someone she met today in exchange.
That would be the same as prostitution, to sell your body for something, this was something unacceptable.
Not to mention, she was getting married next week, even though it was just in name, it would still be against her principles if she accepted.
She gritted her teeth in frustration, what she was searching for in her while life was in front of her but she couldn't obtain it.
She felt so helpless at this moment, as if she was wasting her whole life till now.
"I don't have anything to pay you" She let out in a small voice after a few minutes.
Zack heard her and raised his eyebrow in response, he knew that this was very important for her, so he never expected for her to refuse.
He felt that he had underestimated her again, he felt impressed by her as he just wanted to test her today.
"Is it worth it to lose such a chance for a fake marriage and your principles?" He asked his voiced laced in dissapointment "Well, it's such a pity but I am afraid that this deal cannot be one-sided." He added without letting her reply.
He then proceeded to stand up and leave the room leaving her alone.
Zack left Xia Manor and walked in the direction of the woods, he wasn't in the least bit bothered by what happened.
"That went really well" He muttered to himself with a smirk on his face.
He never expected for her to agree to the 'deal' he proposed, he would have lost any bit of interest in her if she accepted, no matter how much beautiful she is.
But she performed to the best of his expectations, not disappointing him even a bit.
It was his plan to plant an idea in her mind that there is someone out there who knew about the place she was so desperate to go to.
He entered the thick forest region and found a clearing, he placed his house on the ground.
He entered it and plopped on the couch in the living room to rest a bit.
Back in the room, Qingyue was still standing with her hands tightly clenched.
Suddenly a icy aura spread into the room and a figure in white dreamily appeared.
As soon as Qingyue saw this she stepped forward and said with a gentle and respectful tone:"master".
"Qingyue, I am here as I promised,I will stay for few days around here for any unexpected situations." the figure said with a gentle voice.
"Qingyue understands" she said with the same respectful tone.
The white figure disappeared like it appeared into thin air.
Qingyue released a sigh and sat down on the bed.
A moment ago when her master appeared she noticed something, the aura her master gave was icy and suppressing that gave someone a sense of inferiority but the ajta that mysterious person gave off was not suppressing but domineering, someone would feel like bowing down in front of him.
Another thing was that even her master couldn't sense him, if she did she would've at least ask her about him.
'Just who are you' She thought in her mind.
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