Manipulation

"You will account for what you did to Ran Qianfan."

Huan Wei continued to stare at Ran Wuzou. Ran Wuzou was Ran Qianfan's cousin. Ran Qianfan was his uncle's son. Huan Wei had argued with him many times.

It was clear that he would blame him for the corpse. Ran Qianfan didn't like Huan Wei like the other young men. Besides, Chiu Ti had killed one of them. No one would respect them if they stopped investigating this.

Huan Wei shrugged his shoulders. "What crime have you come to pin on me again?"

"I know you killed my cousin Ran Qianfan, and now Ran Yunyu is missing. Confess."

Huan Wei looked at him with one eyebrow raised. Then he started laughing. "I've never seen a man insult one of his own relatives like that," he said, laughing. "Really, Ran Wuzou? Have you no respect for your dead relative?"

"We all know you fought with him, Huan Wei. Then he disappeared. Not long after, his body was found."

"So? So what? Was Ran Qianfan so weak that he lost a life and death battle against someone of a lower phase? Is that what you're trying to say?"

Huan Wei didn't hesitate to insult the dead man. Because the dead could not defend themselves. "Besides," he continued. "I fight with everyone. How many young men in this town haven't fought with me? Are you going to blame me for every death now?"

He was trying to win the support of the crowd. He poisoned their minds with his words. He had a confident smile on his face.

"You know, Ran Wuzou," he continued. "I think Ran Qianfan got what he deserved. He was bullying me and others to satisfy his ego for no reason. I wish I had been the one who killed him. I didn't think he was such a loser that he would lose to someone of a lower phase. Now I will have regrets for the rest of my life."

A few voices rose from the crowd. "Seriously, how could Huan Wei kill him?"

"Ran Qianfan was at the middle phase of the Wandering Realm. He can't lose to someone at the early phase."

"Judging from Ran Wuzou's words, he wasn't that strong."

Ran Wuzou understood what Huan Wei was trying to do. But there was nothing he could do at that moment. If he attacked random people for the honor of his family, he would only gain hatred.

He looked at Huan Wei with hatred. "This is not over. We will meet again."

Huan Wei never broke his calm smile. It was only later that he realized what he had done. Huan Wei was normally too aggressive. He tended to start fights. Yet the experience of his previous life had also helped him to create a calm personality. The dozens of different manipulation techniques in his mind allowed him to charm people with his words.

"Ran Wuzou," he thought. "You left today to avoid dishonoring your family. In just three days, the system will give me a new level. Then even you will be amazed at how I dishonored your family."

Huan Wei walked away, not caring about people's stares. His confident smile was still on his face. Soon he arrived at the martial arts school.

He wasn't planning to attend lessons today. He would just wait for Chiu Ti. Master Guiren might be angry with him, but that didn't bother him. Right now he was on a much bigger job than learning to fight.

When people came out and started going in different directions, he saw Zhao Yongnian and Zhao Huojin. They hadn't seen him. Huan Wei could feel the desire to kill rising in his heart. It was as if it was up to him to make the decision that separated life from death. He wanted to kill them both. He wanted their blood to splatter on his face.

"Huan Wei?"

When Huan Wei came to, Chiu Ti was standing in front of him. She looked in the direction he was looking and saw them. "What happened?"

Huan Wei was suddenly free of his anger. He looked at her with a smile. "Nothing. I was waiting to see you. Shall we walk?"

He held Chiu Ti's hand and they started walking. She put something in his pocket. "A gift you might find useful."

Huan Wei's smile turned worried. "He didn't see you, did he?"

Chiu Ti looked happy. "No, don't worry."

Huan Wei kissed her forehead. "You won't have to do this again."

His words confused her. "Why?"

The young man took a deep breath. "I think I've figured out where the problem lies. Get stronger will no longer be a problem. Soon I will leave everyone behind and you will be the only one by my side."

Chiu Ti smiled again. "Did you find some kind of Heavenly Treasure in the forest?"

"Let's say I found it inside me, not in the forest."

Of course he couldn't explain the system to her. This world he was reborn into was far from technology. Things were different here. A holographic screen was something that could not be done in this universe. Or passing the realm phases by gaining experience points was against the rules of this universe.

Huan Wei also didn't want the girl he loved to think he was crazy. If no one else could see the system screens, he would have to try to prove the existence of something that wasn't there. So it was best to keep it to himself. Chiu Ti didn't seem inclined to get to deeper into this anyway.

"You know where I'll be when you want to tell me."

"I know."

After walking for a while, they sat on an empty bench. It was getting dark. The sun was giving way to the stunning beauty of the moon. They sat in silence for a while. They watched the crowd slowly thinning. People were going home now. Few were still out and about.

"Ran Wuzou appeared in front of me and blamed me for killing Ran Qianfan."

Huan Wei suddenly spoke. He was watching the crowd as he spoke. Chiu Ti responded in the same way.

"It looks like you got rid of him."

"Yes, but they are also looking for Ran Yunyu. Are you sure everything is perfect?"

Chiu Ti nodded. "I threw the corpse off the cliff at high tide, the water was high. It must have already drifted into the ocean. No one will ever find it again."

"Good. Be careful, though. I'm sure they'll blame you too. We just have to lay low for three more days. Then I'll make the whole town forget everything."

"How will you do that?"

Huan Wei turned his head and looked into her bright eyes. They were deeper to him than the deepest oceans. This was the only place he wanted to drown. "Do you trust me?"

One corner of Chiu Ti's lip curled upwards. "I should kill you for asking that, you know."

They laughed as they looked at each other. Huan Wei understood better why his luck statistic was 5. He must have spent all the luck in his life meeting this girl. Chiu Ti was worth everything. Sitting next to her, all his troubles were solved. Nothing bothered him anymore.

"I must go now." Chiu Ti stood up. "Otherwise my uncle will come looking for me."

"Okay, I'll take you home."

Huan Wei got up too and they kept walking. The young man brought her back to where he had left her yesterday and watched her until she entered the house. Then he turned and walked back to his own house.

The splendor of the night surrounded the sky. The moon shone like the crescent moon. Even the clouds that tried to block its path were helpless against its radiance this time. At that moment, night took on a different meaning for Huan Wei. The real beginning of a new life...

This time he arrived home without encountering anyone. But instead of going inside, he went to the backyard. There stood a metal training dummy. When he was able to earn money, he had replaced the wooden puppet with a metal one to withstand the fire techniques.

He quickly opened the technical panel and looked at it. He had used the Mouth of Flame a few times before he left the Moist Forest. It shouldn't have take it long to bring it to its peak level.

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[Wandering Realm Technique] Mouth of Flame Level 3/4 (Class C)

Fire Qi Technique. Ignites the Cultivator's Qi and sent it forward in the form of a spirit animal.

Next Level 100 xp

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"Very well," he said to himself. "Just an hour or two of work. Then my technique will be at the highest level. Then I can use the pill and raise my cultivation."

He circulated the Fire Qi throughout his body. He could feel the Qi flowing through his meridians, warming him. The cold breezes of the night were meaningless to him at that moment. He was warmed by the fire inside him.

He pointed his hand towards the metal dummy. "Mouth of Flame."

The fire reformed and rushed forward like a wild wolf. It was clearly stronger than before. Thanks to the system, Huan Wei could now improve much faster. It was a speed that other people could not imagine.

He continued to use his technique one after another. Each explosion felt more and more powerful than the last. When the fire spreading across the garden ignited some grass, Huan Wei hurriedly extinguished it with his foot.

The Moist Forest could extinguish itself. This ability of the forest was never understood. If it was understood, it was not a secret shared with ordinary people like the townspeople. Huan Wei's backyard lacked this ability.

He ignited his Qi one last time and attacked. At that moment, he heard a sound. It felt like some kind of reward theme.

[Congratulations. You have reached the maximum level of your first technique. You have been rewarded with 2 stat points.]

"That's very good. The stat points keep coming."

Huan Wei was about to open the system panel to give out the points when he received another message.

[The Mouth of Flame has reached maximum level. Would you like to unlock Mastery?]