Vengeful spirit

'Weapon collections? Wasn't that the rack?' Li Chen thought, walking behind Tiger Yi.

"You've won Miss Ying's favor, and from today on, you're now my little brother!" Tiger Yi declared righteously, and his loud voice echoed, gaining the attention of others.

"Tiger Yi chose that strange man to be his brother! What does that tiger man think when he does important things like this?" A man whispered. 

"From the moment he chose that dumb pig, I knew his position as Miss Ying's trusted man would not last." Another replied.

A young man garbed in black Hanfu robes leaped three meters into the air, his robes billowing as he floated to his comrades. 

"Hey, I heard from brother Qin that Miss Ying is going to deal with a vengeful ghost along with Li Chen." 

"What?!" 

"Ha! It turns out Miss Ying wants him dead. There's no way that trash will survive." The first man who whispered shook his head. However, he barely showed pity for Li Chen's supposed fate.

"Good! I almost died so we could claim that realm but it turned out that was just a grave for a piece of trash with a mask." 

"No need to get angry over a dead man, brother." The man who flew over said amicably.

Unbeknownst to them, the man they mocked wasn't the same person they met at the cavern. Li Chen stood in a large room, facing a bigger weapon rack. 

Tiger Yi folded the sleeves of his robe and grabbed a spear. "The name is carved into the handle. A spear with the yearning to eventually pierce through the scales of a divine dragon." 

[I'll pass.] Li Chen responded dismissively. His eyes gleamed with contempt. Eventually? That would be until the end of time. 

How could a 2-star mortal-grade artifact pierce through the scales of a dragon? 

While watching Tiger Yi talk about other weapons, Li Chen's mind drifted away. He imagined drawing a powerful weapon bound to him but reminiscing about the backlash he faced last time, his hope dwindled.

"Brother Chen, how about this sword?" Tiger Yi's voice rang. Li Chen lowered his gaze to the longsword with a black sheath. 

A golden dragon sculpture coiled around the edges, sparking interest in Li Chen. 

SHING—!

He unsheathed the sword and channeled energy into it. A golden and black aura coated the silver blade like flames and he swung it. 

WHOOSH—!

The blade cut through the air, drawing satisfaction from Li Chen. The corners of his lips arched as he sheathed the sword slowly.

'6-star mortal-grade artifact. I'll manage this until I figure out how to get this story under my control. Hmm, for that, I'll need to meet the protagonist I created. Until then, I'm just another mob character,' he mused inwardly. 

After he checked the weight and was satisfied, Li Chen nodded at Tiger Yi. [I'll take this.]

Tiger Yi chuckled. "You have an eye for hidden gems, little brother. This sword is called the Eye of the Void. It was created to harness all types of elements, which I think is great but others have different thoughts." 

Suddenly, Tiger Yi's eyes grew cold and he lunged forward. His fingers curled like a tiger's claws and he clawed at Li Chen's chest. 

SHING—!

Reacting by instinct, Li Chen drew his sword at lightning speed and slashed upward, aiming to cleanly slice off Tiger Yi's arm. 

CLANG—! 

Tiger Yi deflected the blade with his claws and launched another strike, straight at Li Chen's abdomen.

[Brother Yi, what are you doing?!] Li Chen snarled, his words appearing mid-air as a golden light flickered on his body.

In that moment, Li Chen turned invisible. Revolving his star energy, he shot forward, slashing downward but Tiger Yi calmly deflected the blade and slammed him to the wall.

Clutching his chest, Li Chen looked up; his eyes flashed with confusion. 'Is he about to kill me?!' 

"Peak mundane level indeed. But you lack battle experience, which is the cause of your lack of diversity and complexity. However, your element is unique. What is it?" Tiger Yi regained his amicable expression.

[You were testing me?]

"It was Miss Ying's orders; don't be offended, brother Chen." 

'Xiu Ying! She could have just asked and I'll be forced to answer whether I like it or not. Wait, is she unaware that I can do anything she orders me to?'

[I don't know, either. Perhaps one of those elemental testing devices should help. Does Miss Ying have one?] 

Staring at the question mark at the end of Li Chen's words, Tiger Yi felt it would take a while to get used to seeing floating words. 

"Unfortunately, she doesn't have one." Tiger Yi responded ruefully. 

THUD—!!

Heavy footsteps made the floorboards tremble, causing Li Chen and Tiger Yi to turn toward the door. 

A second later, a hulking, fat man held the edge of the door, panting heavily. "Miss Ying has been waiting for both of you!" 

Has been! 

Alarmed, Tiger Yi and Li Chen ran past him, racing toward the courtyard. "Wait! Wait for me!" exclaimed Pig Yun.

****

Sitting at the front of a carriage, Tiger Yi slowed the horses down as they arrived at a town, the ride was bumpy as the road wasn't paved like the one in Windflower city. People clad in coarse robes with straw hats and baskets worked in fields. 

Li Chen, who rode a black horse on the left side of the carriage, narrowed his eyes when he saw the desolate town. 

He could see people closing their doors and shutting their windows, fear evident in their eyes and actions. 

[What happened to these people?] 

Xiu Ying opened the curtain and scanned the atmosphere of the town. 

"They're afraid. Mortals are always afraid, which is why we immortals should provide help if we can." 

'You mean if it benefits you, huh?' Li Chen scowled inwardly. 

Suddenly, the clouds turned dark and rumbled. Before Li Chen could react to the sudden change, droplets of water fell from the skies, bouncing off his metallic mask. 

"It's here." Xiu Ying's voice rang from the carriage's interior. 

[What?]

"The vengeful spirit."