Chapter 32: Apologize to Me
Half an hour later, Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang got up to take their leave.
Niu Yuanshan politely escorted them to the entrance of the small courtyard.
His actions caused several of the servant disciples in the courtyard to look askance, wondering why these two registered disciples were worthy of such importance from him.
After seeing them off, Old Niu picked up the jar of Erlang Wine from the table and returned to his own room.
The thick-browed, big-eyed man with a square face saw his expression change slightly after entering his room.
“How did Chu Huaixu open two acupoints?” he pondered, unable to figure it out.
As a Golden Face within the Organization, and having previously been responsible for new disciple intake, he had seen the young man’s file.
“He was clearly a False Spiritual Embryo.”
“Moreover, all nine of his innate acupoints were blocked!”
Such a situation defied common sense in the cultivation world!
It was hard not to be shocked!
“Could it be that he’s one of those legendary Spiritual Embryo Dust Covered individuals, where the Embryo is hidden and thus mistaken for a False Spiritual Embryo?”
“And once he officially begins cultivating, things will be different?”
As an elder of the Organization, his curiosity about this newcomer grew.
He even felt a desire to obtain a drop of the young man’s blood and thoroughly investigate his Spiritual Embryo condition.
After a few seconds, Niu Yuanshan’s eyes suddenly focused.
Then, he raised his hand and slapped himself hard, so hard that his face was askew.
He even used Spiritual Power while slapping himself.
“Slap—!”
“How many times has it been? How many times has this happened?”
“Niu Yuanshan, Niu Yuanshan, you truly have a poor memory!”
“How can you keep making such mistakes!”
“Admonishment,” Article 3: Refrain from excessive curiosity towards fellow practitioners.
On the other side, after bidding farewell to Old Niu, Chu Huaixu glanced at the clear blue sky.
During the past half hour, he had been continuously trying to accept quests based on his experience as a veteran player and engaging in various conversations.
However, the quest system remained unresponsive.
“The Borrowed Sword” was a game with extremely high freedom; there was no reason it wouldn’t allow him to play both sides.
Therefore, a seed of doubt had been planted in his heart.
On the way home, Han Shuangjiang suddenly called out to Chu Huaixu.
The cold-faced girl’s eyes darted away slightly as she said, “Um… Thank you for what happened today.”
It was evident that even thanking someone was not something this ice mountain excelled at.
Chu Huaixu jokingly responded, “Firstly, I am not ‘um’.”
Seeing her confused look, he began to feel utterly bored.
“You’re welcome, it’s what I should do. Besides, the final outcome is good, isn’t it?” He smiled at her.
Han Shuangjiang also felt fortunate about this.
If Chu Huaixu had suffered any accident because of her, her inherently kind nature would have burdened her with guilt for life.
After some thought, she took out the jade shard from her Storage Token.
“Here, take this. I don’t think I should keep it,” Han Shuangjiang said.
Chu Huaixu glanced at her, suddenly feeling that this world’s protagonist seemed to like keeping things very clear-cut.
Earlier, when he had told her to seek help from Old Niu when he returned home, she had refused.
Now, she was even trying to give him the jade shard she had obtained.
“I already have one. Having more wouldn’t do me any good. I don’t need two “keys”,” Chu Huaixu said.
“You can use it to exchange for Sect Contribution Points,” Han Shuangjiang stated seriously and insistently.
Chu Huaixu would be foolish to accept!
He knew that there were a total of 10 jade shard fragments, meaning Liu Tianfeng’s side had 8 more.
At that point, it would be Liu Tianfeng’s group of eight entering the dungeon, while his side would only have two.
Therefore, despite their pain, the Liu family trio would still feel—We have the advantage!
But Chu Huaixu knew clearly that the ice mountain standing before him was the world’s protagonist, the Son of Destiny who had claimed all the remaining Dao Ancestor inheritances!
“I’ll have more confidence if you come with me into the dungeon,” he thought to himself.
Thus, he frowned again and said in a displeased and somewhat fierce tone, “I told you to keep it, so keep it!”
Han Shuangjiang, beneath her veil, couldn’t help but purse her tender red lips again.
Chu Huaixu looked at her and said, “This was obtained for us by Steward Niu. He’s already allocated one piece to each of us. Instead of giving it to me here, you should help me more once we enter the Secret Realm.”
The cold-faced girl hesitated for a moment before relenting, softly saying, “Alright.”
Along the way, the two walked and talked.
After this incident, their relationship seemed to have grown closer.
The usually reserved girl, who kept her distance from others, rarely confided her true feelings, saying:
“I didn’t expect the Daoist Sect to have seniors like Steward Liu. I thought all Daoist Sect seniors were like Steward Niu.”
Chu Huaixu was amused by this.
“If everyone were like Old Niu, wouldn’t the Daoist Sect be finished? What, from the Sect Leader to the Stewards, are they all undercover agents?” he muttered to himself.
Chu Huaixu glanced at Han Shuangjiang and said, “This is normal. Wherever there are people, there will be rotten apples. More importantly, human nature is ultimately complex.”
“As long as someone is human, they will have selfish motives.”
“Let me tell you, the Liu Chenggong who came to arrest me seems like someone who enjoys a good laugh. I managed to get a lot of information out of him along the way.”
“Our Steward Liu, years ago before he was promoted to Steward, was on a mission down the mountain with his wife and some outer disciples, and then something happened.”
“His wife died on the spot, and he was heavily injured, causing his cultivation to stagnate ever since. However, all the outer disciples were unharmed, as he protected them very well.”
“Perhaps he was corrupted by power, or perhaps his son was his forbidden zone. Who knows?” Chu Huaixu shrugged.
Han Shuangjiang fell into deeper silence upon hearing this.
Chu Huaixu looked at her and said, “It’s alright. Since they wanted to make a move against us, you see, I didn’t let them off easy, did I?”
The cold-faced girl turned to look at him and said earnestly, “I really didn’t expect you to suddenly strike out at the end.”
As a result, he even seemed proud of himself, tilting his head and grinning, “How about that? Arrogant, isn’t it?”
Han Shuangjiang: “…”
When she didn’t speak, he just stared at her, forcing her to nod slightly.
“See, it’s right to be arrogant!” Chu Huaixu chuckled.
The more arrogant they appeared, the more unfathomable their background seemed!
He continued, “Do you know why we have the saying ‘bully the weak and fear the strong,’ and why we have the saying ‘bully the subordinates and fawn over the superiors’?”
“Because those who bully the weak often fear the strong, and those who bully subordinates often fawn over superiors.”
“Shall we make a bet? Do you believe that even after I struck out like this, they will still come to visit tomorrow with generous gifts?” Chu Huaixu said.
Han Shuangjiang asked, “But, haven’t they already given us the keys to the Secret Realm?”
“This is compensation, and it was obtained by Steward Niu,” Chu Huaixu waved his hand.
“Didn’t he say it himself at the beginning, that he would prepare generous gifts and visit tomorrow? Since the words have been spoken, he must follow through, and they can’t just dismiss it because he gave us the Pill King’s Token.”
“After all, he can’t be sure if we heard those previous words. What if we did?”
Steward Liu was an old hand; he definitely had this much experience in handling social interactions.
“Moreover, compensation is compensation, and building goodwill is building goodwill.”
Chu Huaixu looked at her and asked again, “So, betting or not?”
“No bet,” Han Shuangjiang repeatedly shook her head and quickened her pace.
She felt that in many aspects, her thinking was far inferior to his. She didn’t want that!
“Let’s bet. I haven’t even said what the bet is on, don’t refuse before that,” Chu Huaixu felt she was ruining the mood, finding her quite uninteresting.
“No bet, no bet,” Han Shuangjiang maintained her cold expression and walked even faster with her long legs.
Ignoring Chu Huaixu’s words, Han Shuangjiang simply refused to gamble.
Upon returning home, the two returned to their respective bamboo huts.
Chu Huaixu sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, beginning to regulate his breathing.
This time, the harvest was substantial; he received 1000 experience points, enough to level up, and even several levels higher.
“With Han Shuangjiang’s incredible cultivation speed, if I don’t gain some experience points, I’ll be left far behind by her immediately.”
“And after this incident, she likely feels a sense of urgency and is more eager to become stronger, so her cultivation speed might even increase.” He speculated thus.
“Having good talent is awesome. Unlike me, I have to endure pain and complete quests. Everything I have comes from my hard work!”
“System! Level this old man up!”
The third, fourth, and fifth layers of the Sword Refining Art.
Chu Huaixu broke through three acupoints in succession.
