AZI Volume 6 Chapter 18

Turning to Jing Yao first, Long Hua answers—

"Jing, the truth of this world isn't very pleasant. It will make you question your own humanity. If you're not prepared to experience some insanity, you're better off not knowing about it."

"…"

Contemplating for a bit, Jing Yao replies—

"I'll probably have you tell me one day. But for now, I'm satisfied with not knowing. …I'm going to get some supplies ready for the blood transfusion."

Having said this, Jing Yao leaves the room. 

Upon the door being shut, Yu Ji asks—

"Weapon spirits?"

Raising an eye, Long Hua replies—

"So, you've realized it?"

"…Still a bit difficult to believe. Actually, I kind of don't want to believe it, but…"

Shrugging her shoulders, Yu Ji turns silent. 

Having realized this truth, Yu Ji has found it difficult to stare into the eyes of others. 

However, Long Hua—who is a practitioner, doesn't fall under this category. Unlike her, he is an actual person, a genuine human being. 

Raising a subtle sigh, Long Hua asks—

"Anything you want to ask?"

"…How do we…-? Umm...…?"

Unsure how to phrase this, Yu Ji frowns, to which, Long Hua remarks—

"You weapon spirits seem human enough to me. Due to the laws of this world, you're able to feel hunger, and can even get sick like your little sister currently is. No need to feel like you're an alien compared to the others. In fact...…"

Pausing here, Long Hua thought for a bit, and eventually raised another sigh. 

Since Yu Ji is going to be pulled out of the Leng Bing Realm at some point, Long Hua doesn't see any harm in telling her about this. 

"All of the weapon spirits in this world, they all used to be practitioners."

Practitioners, recalling this to be Long Hua's term for addressing Immortals, Yu Ji widens her eyes. 

"…! We…-? All of us used to be Immortals as well?"

"I don't know the full details. Maybe, you can ask Wen-xiong?"

"I…"

Folding her arms, Yu Ji has an odd look on her face—for she still doesn't know what to make of Wen Qing. 

Shrugging a shoulder, Long Hua says—

"At the very least, he cares about you more than I do. Otherwise, he wouldn't have struck a deal with me—to keep you safe in this world. Also… I know for a fact that you couldn't have shot down that weapon on your own, so you must've received help from him."

"…R-Right."

Having all this pointed out to her, Yu Ji's trust towards Wen Qing is raised slightly. However—

"I just… Find it odd that he would go out of his way to help me. So…-"

"Being cautious is good. The moment he takes you and your little sister off my hands—is the moment I cease to care about what happens to you two."

"…"

Being told this so bluntly, Yu Ji doesn't know what to reply with. However, this is probably something that she should have expected from Long Hua. 

Expecting Yu Ji to feel anemic after the blood transfusion, Long Hua asks—

"You planning to stay here for the day?"

"I'm sure you're still busy, so I won't ask you to accompany me."

"Fair enough. I'll talk to the proprietress about giving you a job."

"Thanks."

"…"

Walking over to Yu Ji, Tian Cheng takes out a small notebook, and hands it to the former, while explaining—

"Instructions on how to operate the unit."

"Thanks for all the help recently, Lady Cheng."

With this matter settled, Long Hua leaves with Tian Cheng. 

...…

Getting back into the car after leaving the hospital building, Long Hua glances at Tian Cheng, and asks—

"So, anything happened while it was just you two?"

Towards the question, Tian Cheng replies—

"Minor run-ins with Dainsfield associates; however, none of them recognized her after she got changed. I was also dressed differently before that, so there shouldn't be any issues."

"Honestly, that outfit looked like a joke…"

Recalling Yu Ji's attire, Long Hua had the urge to laugh aloud, while Tian Cheng remarks—

"I figured that dressing her in something that is unusual, and out of character for her—would have worked best."

"I guess it worked out?"

Inputting their next destination, Long Hua has the car moving on autopilot, while Tian Cheng asks—

"Does master plan to visit the Lan Si Restaurant right now?"

Raising a sigh, Long Hua replies—

"As the saying goes, you can dodge the matter temporarily, but you can't possibly dodge it forever. Plus, I did make a bold claim in front of those people that the Spirit Extracts would be sold there. …I assume those things are safe?"

"Yes."

(*-laoban, you haven't seen each other for a full day, and this is the way you'd interact now that you're alone together?)

Towards the Tai Xuan Emperor's remark, Long Hua replies— 

"It's only been a day, and I'm not exactly the sort to get emotional over an object."

(…Real cold of you.)

Having her vessel tilt its head, the Tai Xuan Emperor uses it to remark—

"Is this what people would commonly refer to as the notion of—out with the old, and in with the new? Have you simply gotten tired of me, master?"

"Who knows? In the first place, where am I going to find a new to replace the old with?"

"True."

...…

As the Lan Si Restaurant is located in the third ward, the trip over took a bit of time.

Upon parking the car, Long Hua gets out of the vehicle, and draws in a deep breath of air before exhaling it. 

"Right, let's get this over with."