AZI Volume 4 Chapter 33

"…"

Opening the door of the Mirrored Moon Café, Long Hua immediately sees—

"Oh, here to pick up the bike at last?"

Dressed in a classic bartender outfit is the owner of the café, who was away on a business trip—the last time Long Hua had asked about his whereabouts.

"Finally back from that trip, Owner?"

"Was quite an enjoyable vacation, truth be told. I met up with an old relative of mine, and we had some fun together."

Off to the side, Zhou'er remarks—

"Wasn't it supposed to be a business trip?"

"I like the way a business trip sounded. It gives me… A more respectable image, I feel."

"…That's all ruined now that it's been revealed to be a vacation instead."

Shrugging his shoulders towards Zhou'er's remark, the Owner reaches down into the counter, and brings out an object.

"What's this?"

Walking over to the counter with Tian Cheng, Long Hua looks closely at the object that was brought out.

The item in question is a wooden sculpture, that measures at a height of one and a half feet. And judging by how refined the details on it are, one can say for certain that it is the work of a skilled artisan.

"Hm?"

Walking over to the counter as well, Zhou'er can't help but remark—

"It looks like an Immortal…?"

Dressed in what appears to be an archaic set of robes with a sword in its right hand and a lotus bud in its left hand, this sculpted figure that has its face covered by a half-faced taotie mask does indeed look like an Immortal.

Maintaining his eyes on the sculpture, Long Hua frowns, and asks—

"So, what exactly is this thing?"

For some reason, Long Hua can feel an odd air emanating from it.

"The person who I brought it from said—it's an ancient deity that goes by the name, Lord Tiān Shé Zi. Although it cost me quite a bit of money, I felt like it was a worthwhile deal. There's something about it that just… Hmm, it's hard to explain, but it just naturally makes me want to worship it. I was waiting for you to show up, and get your impression of it—before putting it on official display."

Continuing to be drawn to the details of the wooden sculpture, Zhou'er nods, and remarks—

"I can kind of see what the owner means."

Shrugging a shoulder, Long Hua says—

"My impression of this thing… It doesn't look like it will bring in good fortune for the café. I think you should store it away elsewhere, and hope that no one from the military ever shows up, and happens to see it."

As the group continues to examine the sculpture, the door of the café opens again, and—

"Hm? Why is everyone gathered together like that?"

With a look of confusion on her face, Yao Ying enters the café with a shoulder bag.

Currently, she is wearing a sleeveless white blouse with a pair of knee-length black pants, which are designed to fit loosely for comfort. From the looks of it, she has fully assimilated into this world's society from a fashion's perspective.

Turning his head to the side, Long Hua answers—

"No real reason; just a bit intrigued by this sculpture."

Coming closer to the counter, Yao Ying looks at the wooden sculpture with curiosity.

"Odd…"

"It's apparently a deity of some sort."

"Deity?"

Towards Zhou'er's remark, Yao Ying tilts her head slightly.

From the perspective of a practitioner, a deity or god is essentially just another practitioner, whose cultivation base has reached the realm of the Immortal Kings, or even the Immortal Emperor. However, this sculpture—

"…"

Strangely enough, Yao Ying doesn't feel like it's odd at all to call it a deity.

(Does she notice it as well?)

"Ah."

Recalling something, Yao Ying turns to Long Hua, and says—

"Bai-shao asked you to drop by the village tonight for dinner."

"Got it."

Concerned about the ruins possibly possessing a completed Immortal Sealing Chain, Long Hua figured that he had best obtain some useful tools ahead of time, or in the most painful case scenario, gain a few Spirit Armaments—both of which would no doubt require the business aid of a certain someone, whose surname is Zhen.

"Right, I'm leaving."

Having said this, Long Hua heads for the café's garage with Tian Cheng to retrieve his bike.

...…

The ride back to the yacht wasn't anything eventful, and upon returning—

"Home at last…"

Standing in front of his bed, Long Hua leans forward, and falls right on top of it.

"…"

As Tian Cheng gently sits down on the bed, silence looms between the two. Eventually—

"…"

With a childish look on his face, Long Hua wraps his arms around Tian Cheng's waist.

Lowering herself onto the bed as well, Tian Cheng turns to face Long Hua, and wraps her hands around his head.

...…

Within the dreamscape—

"Now that I think about it, he has an odd habit of sleeping while hugging onto something. I guess, with his personality slowly returning into the one he had during his previous life, this odd habit of his had returned as well?"

With a scheming smile on her face, the Tai Xuan Emperor sees this as another opportunity to raise Long Hua's affection points with her vessel, as she controls her vessel to bring the latter's face closer to its artificial chest, however—

...…

"…Unpleasant, that unpleasant bastard—whether it be his voice, or his smiling face that I've yet to see… Everything about him makes me feel unpleasant."

With a begrudging tone, Long Hua mutters this with his eyes shut.

Maintaining their current distance, Tian Cheng asks—

"…How does master intend to make that person fail his experiment?"

"By using his curse to evolve in a way that goes contrary to his image of perfection."

"…What exactly is their image of perfection for the ultimate lifeform?"

Pressing his brows together in thought, Long Hua doesn't answer for a few seconds, before replying—

"…Hell if I know. Regardless, if I just go about things in accordance with my personal idea of what an ultimate lifeform is, I'm bound to hit a nerve here and there. I highly doubt I'd have a taste that matches with his completely."

"I see."

Contemplating for a bit, Tian Cheng decides to change the topic.

"If we do enter into a ruin that has a completed Immortal Sealing Chain, what are the odds of making it out alive as is?"

"...…"

Of all the topics that could be picked, Tian Cheng chose the most difficult one—as a means to redirect Long Hua's focus onto Spirit Armaments, which in turn would require him to gamble away on the gacha system.