Chapter 7: Gong Bao Ji Ding

Sun Ying hummed as she prepared the Gong Bao Ji Ding, she was very happy, sharing a meal with Uncle was a rare occurrence.

As they sat down to eat, Sun Ying talked about what was happening at school. "Uncle, I awakened the fire element today. My teacher says I have a lot of potential."

Sun Chang faintly smiled. "That's good."

She was slightly stunned; she hadn't seen a smile on Uncle Sun's face in a while. This reminded her of before, when she was young and had lost her parents in Xufeng Mountain. Since then, he had become her only relative in this world, but six years ago, when he came back from an expedition, he was different. He still paid for school and took care of the essentials, but became more distant. At some point, he stopped smiling and started drinking more.

Although the sudden change was strange, she was happy with it.

Sun Chang was happy at this time because he had the ability to protect himself in this world. Knowing he could now heal from any injury gave him a newfound sense of security.

After dinner was over, Sun Ying began to clear the table. "Do you need anything else, Uncle?" she asked.

Sun Chang shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you, Sun Ying."

He made his way to his room, sitting on the edge of his bed, contemplating what to do next.

With the healing factor and his innate skill, he now believed he had a chance to survive in this world. Of course, these abilities couldn't be used in the open. He had heard of someone awakening the natural-born soul grade element, which was so powerful that the Holy Magic Judgment Senate sealed them in the middle of the frozen north, crawling with Monarchs and above monsters. When this person was released from imprisonment, the Holy Magic Judgment Senate sentenced them to death. Imagine if they found someone with the ability to control death and immortality; he would be killed on the spot. No, they might experiment on him for his immortality and then kill him on the clause of being too dangerous.

So right now, I need to find the bronze mirror and then the special ritual to seal it, and then lay low.

He began to think about what he had read in Zhang Mei's journal. From what he could tell, she should be the team chronicler, so she was most likely to have the most information. With this thought, Sun Chang began to look through his phone until he found her contact.

Sun Chang read through the text messages, his eyes scanning for anything significant. He sighed and nodded to himself, realizing there wasn't much of importance in their recent exchanges. It was likely the messages were kept vague intentionally, perhaps as a precaution. He muttered to himself, "There isn't much here. Probably just to keep it safe."

With a deep sigh, he leaned back on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. He decided that he would visit her house tomorrow. Perhaps he could find more substantial clues.

.....

6:30 AM, Bo City

At this time, Sun Chang was laying in bed, covered in a small, blue, tattered blanket.

"Beep Beep Beep Beep"

The awful sound of the beside alarm, quickly dragged him out of his sleep. As Sun Chang reached out to silence the noise.

Sun Chang rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, sighing in relief when he noticed he was still in the cramped room from earlier.

With a yawn, he stood up and shuffled to the tiny bathroom. The mirror above the wall being cracked, reflected fragments of the dark circles under his eyes. After getting ready, he grabbed his coat and sunglasses before stepping out into the streets of Bo City.

Bo City a well-developed urban area with and the central location of the early parts of the story. if he is correct Mo fan just awaken his innate talent dual elements, and this city would be destroyed in three years, once he had found out that he was in the world of Versatile Mage he was planning on immediately leaving this city cursed city, but after Tang Yue arrival he knew it would be hard to get out of this city without having some restriction put on him. 

This morning, Sun Chang was heading out to the pharmacy to buy something to deal with his hollowed eyes.

As he approached the store front, he pushed open the door. 

A young woman with short black hair stood at the counter, greeting him.

"Good Morning," she said in a friendly tone. "May I ask what brings you in today?"

Sun Chang returned her smile. "I have an eye condition, and I was wondering if you have anything to cover it up," he said, pointing towards his eyes.

The woman nodded. "There are contacts in the back. Do you have a prescription with you?"

Sun Chang smiled, taking out a badge from his pocket.

The lady recognized it as a hunter union badge and immediately began to apologized.

"It's fine," Sun Chang replied as he headed in the direction the woman had pointed. Though he wasn't a mage, the previous owner was a well-renowned historian, so he would get some of the privileges of a hunter.

As he browsed through the pharmacy, Sun Chang thought about his situation. Maybe he should try to go through the awakening process. He wasn't low on money, and it would provide a way to protect himself without drawing too much attention.

While thinking, Sun Chang's eyes settled on a pair of brown contact lenses, remembering that the previous owner had brown eyes in the photo he had seen. He picked them up and headed back to the counter.

"Did you find everything you were looking for?" the young woman at the counter asked as she rang up his purchase.

"Yes, thank you," Sun replied.

She handed him the brown contacts with a warm smile. "Thank you for shopping with us. Have a great day."

Sun Chang returned the smile and nodded before heading out of the store. With the sunglasses shielding his eye from the early morning sun, he glanced up at the gradually clouding sky, noting it was still early.

Remembering his plan, Sun Chang pulled out his phone and scrolled through his messages, searching for Zhao Mei's address. Finding the right text, he noted down the directions and input them into his phone's GPS. With a steadying breath, he made his way to his car and set off towards her neighborhood.

As he drove, he noticed the surroundings becoming more secluded. After a final turn, a villa appeared in front of him, its architecture distinctly Western in style. There were about a dozen villas in this area, and he had to park his car at the bottom of the neighborhood. Fortunately, the slope wasn't steep.

Before getting out of the car, he decided to put in his contacts. Reaching into the glove compartment, he pulled out a small case. He unscrewed the lid, revealing the contact lenses floating in the solution. Carefully, he pinched one lens between his thumb and index finger, lifting it out of the case. With practiced precision, he placed the lens on the tip of his finger, ensuring it was right-side up.

Leaning towards the rearview mirror, he used his other hand to pull down his lower eyelid. Slowly, he brought the lens closer to his eye. As the lens made contact with his cornea, his eye reflexively blinked, and he felt a slight, familiar discomfort. His eye watered a little, but he managed to hold his eyelid open long enough for the lens to settle into place.

He blinked a few times, his vision clearing as the lens adjusted. Repeating the process with his other eye, he experienced the same brief moment of discomfort and the slight watering, but soon both lenses were securely in place. His vision now crisp and clear, he screwed the lid back on the contact case and put it away.

Satisfied, he stepped out of the car and began his walk up the gentle slope towards the villa, the crunch of gravel underfoot.

By this time he had arrived infront of the house, the sky had gotten darker, casting long shadows across the path ahead.

Reaching the front door, he took a moment to father his thoughts before pressing the doorbell.

A few moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a pale young man with dark circles under his eyes and wearing a baggy pajamas.

"Who are you?" the young man asked, his voice his voice is slightly hoarse.

Sun Chang cleared his throat and introduced himself with a professional tone. "I'm here from the Enforcers Union to investigate the death of Ms. Mei," he stated firmly, showing his badge from the Hunter Union.

The young man's brow raised in surprise. "Investigation? Didn't you already come for an investigation and rule her death a suicide?"

Sun Chang nodded slightly. "We did, initially. But we now have reason to believe that there may be supernatural forces in play."

The young man rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy. "I always thought there was something strange about it too. Zhao Mei was... she was different, strong-willed. Suicide never made sense to me."

Sun Chang smiled, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied the young man's unease. "May I come in?" he asked, his tone polite but firm.

The young man hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. "Of course. Please, come in," he said, gesturing for Sun Chang to enter.

Sun Chang nodded, stepping into the dimly lit house. "Thank you. I appreciate your cooperation."