AZI Volume 4 Chapter 38

Towards Long Hua's question, Zhen Huai sets his spoon down, and replies—

"You think I have an alternative exit? Sorry to disappoint you, Long-xiong, but such an exit doesn't exist. If you're thinking of sneaking out of here by claiming to be a worker in my village, then…"

Taking over from here at Zhen Huai's glance, Bai Wen says—

"They have a list of names available to them. If you think you can disguise yourself as one of the workers based on appearance alone, well, that's not going to work. Special jade slips imprinted with the worker's divine senses were created ahead of time. If those jade slips don't match with you, then you're as good as exposed."

Raising a frown, Long Hua asks—

"…This is to make sure not a single weapon spirit escapes, correct?"

"Pretty much. Remember how I mentioned that the normal method is to have another practitioner take you out?"

"…Tame the weapon spirit, as a magic treasure, and taking them out. Hmm. Tell me more about this necropolis then."

Swallowing a boiled prawn, and washing it down with a cup of wine, Bai Wen says—

"Legend says, the Ling Yuan Ancestor left numerous treasures inside his necropolis. This rumor is true because it needs to be—if it is to be used as fishing bait. Whenever the necropolis opens, the Ling Yuan family would invite numerous individuals in to try out their luck. However, its true purpose was to always to cause a bloodbath. Supplies that are sold, need to be replenished somehow, right?"

Realizing the hidden meaning behind Bai Wen's words, Long Hua smiles, and remarks—

"Genius, truly a genius. Publicly, it's known as the Ling Yuan Ancestor's necropolis, but in actuality, it belongs to the people who died in it. Since outsiders are invited in for this event, does that mean that I'll be able to sneak out of this realm unnoticed when it ends?"

Hearing this, Yao Ying perks her ears in attention, while Bai Wen answers—

"That's why I said it's not an event you'd want to miss out on."

"Indeed."

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Yao Ying asks—

"Um, does that mean that I can sneak out as well?"

Raising an eye, Bai Wen replies—

"If Mo Tongzi is smart, he'd definitely take this chance to come in as well."

Biting her lips together tightly, Yao Ying feels a rush of happiness at the potential news of her being able to go home.

"But…"

Bursting the bubble quickly, Nuo'er continues to say—

"With how weak little Yao Ying is, she can't possibly survive the ordeal. Peerless talents of all ages will be going at each other's throats—to grab at any treasure that they come across."

"…"

With this pointed out by Nuo'er, Yao Ying's smile vanishes. Indeed, she is far too weak to have any chances of surviving this bloodbath. Even if she isn't a proper participant of the event, so long as she is inside of the necropolis, she's bound to get caught up in some form of trouble.

Adding to Nuo'er's words, Bai Wen says—

"Well, best of luck with that, little girl."

"…"

Pressing his cup to his lips, Long Hua is clearly in a merry mood—at having a proper method of getting out of the Leng Bing Realm.

(I need to be stronger than I am right now, if I don't want to end up as cannon fodder during this event. Also, a 100,000-year-old weapon spirit, despite how simple Lao Bai had described them, they can't possibly be weak.)

Just as Long Hua is thinking of this, Yao Ying gets out of her seat, and approaches him.

"Hm…?"

Setting his cup down, and turning around, Long Hua looks at Yao Ying with narrowed eyes, and asks—

"Something the matter, little girl?"

"…"

Facing Long Hua's eyes that are giving off a subtle glow, Yao Ying holds down the urge to take a step back.

"I…"

Drawing in a deep breath of air and exhaling, Yao Ying stares right into Long Hua's eyes, and asks—

"…Can I be your disciple?"

"Hmm."

Turning away from Yao Ying, Long Hua refills his cup, and sips quietly with his eyes shut.

"…"

Silence looms in the air, as not a single person moved their chopsticks—seemingly waiting for Long Hua to answer.

...…

Enduring against the long silence, Yao Ying does her best to keep her head facing straight without looking down at her own feet.

"…"

Amidst this prolonged period of silence, Nuo'er looks to Bai Wen, as if telling him to say something to break this awkwardness.

"…"

Towards Nuo'er's hinting glances, Bai Wen shakes his head, as he sips from his cup, while thinking—

(Accepting a disciple is a sacred matter. As they say, a teacher for a day means a father for a lifetime.)

Looking at Long Hua, who is still sipping away at the wine in his cup, Zhen Huai thought—

(With how heavy his own baggage is, I doubt Long-xiong would accept her as a disciple.)

"…"

Upon Long Hua setting the emptied cup down on the stone table, the sound seems louder than it should be.