Encounter

The "deity" walked around the narrow street, as if he was following something in haste. He even knocked a kid down by accident. His eyes were always shifting from one direction to another, keeping track of the malicious soul. It was looking for a victim, and he was trying to prevent that. In the midst of tension, a figure appeared from the bamboo forest nearby, just along the sidewalk to the entrance of the village. The figure was a male. Tall, and handsome. He carried around a sword on his hip, the hilt and the scabbard covered in fine details made of silver. But the most eye-catching detail of the sword was the jade, hooked around the pommel. The jade is a triple twist; it looks like two headed snakes intertwining with each other, and their bodies are connected to each other, but the color of the jade was black. And only one Realm uses Black jades, the ambitious Qiulong Clan. Known to be the home of many great sword-users and cultivators.

The "deity" dared not to step any closer, instead, he hid away behind the entrance of the village. He knew exactly who the renowned cultivator was. Shen ZhaoChun, somehow managed to become the Black Tortoise Lord's right hand-man, and inherited a lifetime worth of fortune. Women, jewels and wealth, he has it all, and one of the Lords even gave him a piece of their territory. It's astonishing how a son of a lowlife could even make it in as a disciple in the first place.

'Oh, how much you've grown.' The wanderer laughed quietly to himself, as he couldn't help but let a smile spread across his face. For a moment, the spirit found a crack in his shield and went to the entrance of the village to escape. The cultivator quickly unsheathes his Bai Jingjing, his sword, in a matter of seconds. From just a swing he divided the soul in half, with his sword drenched in spells and prepared talismans before he pursued the spirit, it quickly destroyed the soul, shredding it to pieces in the air. The black smoke came out of the soul and dissipated in the air as its Ignition Core died. After he stood there for a while, the cultivator sheathed his Bai Jingjing, but as he did so, his eyes shifted to a corner, noticing someone was leaving from behind one of the pillars. He turned his body around, searching for the source of attraction in a crowd full of ducks and pigs.

As Shen ZhaoChun saw a passing figure in the crowd, a familiar feeling suddenly sparked. And the figure's peculiar straw hat that hung around and behind his neck. Although it was a worn out straw hat, he's certain that the straw hat is something else, because there were traces of spiritual energy around the stranger, but it's still a bit too faint to assume anything too quickly. On their back is a sword-like silhouette wrapped around with a thick white cloth.

Shen ZhaoChun thought for a moment, his expression blank. He had a hunch that he should find out who this person is, he could sense trouble.

"Guai Zuoren!" A young female called the "deity" out, her voice was loud, hinting of a pursuit. Her head and posture were straight, full of confidence and persistence. She was frowning. If we put her tone and her mood together, we get an angry female cultivator chasing after someone. Intimately and physically. Shen ZhaoChun also stopped his approach, glancing at the female cultivator then back at the wanderer. He assumed that the name the female spoke of is the wanderer's. "Can you stop getting in my way? I was chasing after that spirit. Do you know how much trouble you're causing me? You're not even a cultivator!" Her voice lowered, but still harsh, frustrated. Yet behind her aggressive approach is a shy maiden, blushing as she tried to find a way to talk to her love interest. Although Guai Zuoren knows why she decided to call him out, this is no time for chitchat, the renowned cultivator who was staring at him was making his hair on the back of his neck stand up.

"Gah! Right, sorry, I will leave this village first thing in the morning!" Guai Zuoren quickly leapt onto the roof of the inn just right across the narrow street and fled.

"W-Wait! That's not what I me-" The female cultivator yelled out after him, but he was too fast.

Shen ZhaoChun also leapt after the wanderer, with immense curiosity. Although he was given other tasks by the Lords, something still felt very odd, especially from that stranger. 'Why was he so quick to leave the scene?' Normally, only thefts do that, so perhaps this is the case. Being nosy was never his thing, but the spiritual energy emanating from Guai Zuoren is very suspicious.

After running for a long while, Guai Zuoren ran into a dead end. But he was certain that he's safe, for now. Just as he turned himself around, he walked into the renowned cultivator, obviously cornered. Guai Zuoren's eyes widened, but his demeanor remained calm. He would be bluffing if he lied to himself by saying that he's actually cool with encountering a cultivator. All cultivators are just as scary as fierce spirits.

��May I help you?"

"If you don't mind, I would like to talk." Shen ZhaoChun said, not even asking for the other's consent. Although he didn't actually word it as if there's no choice, his tone says it all. Guai Zuoren didn't know what to tell the other, but he didn't want to reject his invitation either. But the male knows who the cultivator is, yet the cultivator has never met him before, it would be an awkward situation in Guai Zuoren's perspective.

"Uhm- Sure?" Guai Zuoren wasn't sure if he wanted to stay with the cultivator any longer either. "I mean, I'm not sure either, maybe next waning moon in "neverary"?"

"You were saying that you will leave this village? Why don't you come with me to Bailing Pond, and we'll have a nice chat on the way there."

"Wha- You were eavesdropping!"

"A person with one ear could hear that just right across the street. Keep your voice down next time if you don't want others to hear."

Bickering and sidetracking has always been Guai Zuoren's best escape plans, but after hearing what Shen ZhaoChun said, he didn't know what to say next.

"Fine. But why Bailing Pond? Isn't that place very far away from here?"

"You may depart from my route or follow me after we're done chatting."

Guai Zuoren took a moment to think about the events that led to this, and it doesn't make sense. But through Shen ZhaoChun, everything suddenly made sense if he's the one doing the talking.

As they walked out of the village, the silence between the two started to bug Guai Zuoren so bad that he just had to be the first to speak.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Guai Zuoren smiled awkwardly.

"Let me see your straw hat." Shen ZhaoChun said bluntly.

"I'm sorry?" Guai Zuoren paused, his awkward smile dissapeared.

"You heard me."

Guai Zuoren was hesitant as he took off his straw hat. Shen ZhaoChun could see traces of anxiety on Guai Zuoren as he looked at his straw hat for a little while.

"So?" Shen ShaoChun, without turning his head, glanced at Guai Zuoren, waiting for the male to give him the only thing he wanted to inspect.