Chapter 11 - 8: Méiyǒu

The next morning found Nie Li and I doing some after breakfast activities. Specifically, we were practicing martial arts and I have to say that it was a humbling experience dealing with him again after dancing with Du Ze.

Now, I wasn't as bad as when we first started because after so many weeks practicing together with my new senses and super memory I could actually hold my own. Not to mention that this was just a light exercise and not an all-out spar since I had to join my dear Xin later on. I couldn't just show up all black and blue.

"That's enough." Spoke Nie Li, halting my next move "I'm impressed. It wasn't that long that you weren't so creative in your strikes." He praised while wiping the moisture from his brow. "You still need some work on finding someone's weak spots, but overall, I'd say there aren't many fighters of the same level that could go hand to hand with you in the future."

I exhaled loudly following a drink of water. Damn if it didn't taste amazing in this world. There was a distinct lack of plasticity in it, something I never noticed until I thought about it. Even spring water on Earth tasted like pollution if kept in a plastic bottle for more than half an hour. No such problem here. "The past few days have been spent with Du Ze. Exchanging pointers with him made me realize the honesty in some of my own moves. My methods may not be honorable, but at least they keep me alive."

The geriatric ginger nodded "The true test of honor isn't how you die, but how you live. There is no point in meeting an honorable but useless demise." He was basically saying that the victor writes the history, so it's better to win than to die. Words I can stand behind.

"Anyway, I need to prepare to leave shortly since I'm meeting Yang Xin at noon." Came my reply as I stretched to get more blood in my limbs.

"Going on a date?" His smirk was playful but a bit annoying, like a lecherous old geezer. Well, he was centuries old at heart but still...

I chuckled "Something like that. Ye Shuo is teaching me swordplay so I asked her to secure me entry to today's auction. Would you like to join us?" No reason he couldn't participate as well. It's not like I'm taking Xin to a candlelit dinner for two.

"That would be interesting but last night I promised mother and Xiao Yu that I would spend the day with them." Replied Nie Li, with a somewhat apologetic gaze in his eyes.

Shrugging I made my way towards a wash basin while storing my shirt in my ring. Honestly I would need a new ring soon. The one I was using now was a good one of about five cubic meters but even it was getting full. Worse case scenario I would just get one for my other hand. Even worse case I could go full Mandarin from Iron Man with one on each finger. The ring in ring glitch only worked if you store the objects you wanted in the ring and then store that ring in the ring. My head was already ringing from that…

Cold water cooled me off after the workout and rinsed away the dust that had collected on my skin. It was only a quick splash than an actual shower since the Heavenly Void Dragon God technique purified my body so much that no unpleasant smell came from my body even after running a marathon. Still, nothing beats a good bath to end a hard day.

The carriage ride to the auction house left me there one hour early so I decided to grab some hot tea from a nearby vendor, black tea to be more specific. I really missed coffee. There were some alchemical herbs that would give you a buzz like pure caffeine on steroids but there was something soothing about that bitter yet aromatic liquid of a.d.u.l.t life.

After paying I made my way to a nearby city garden with my tea in hand. As soon as I got there I stopped under the shade of a tree looking for a good spot to enjoy some alone time. A few seconds later I felt an impact on my right side causing me to lose grip on the beverage and it fell to the ground shattering on impact. It wasn't cheap either. There were no plastic or waterproof paper cups in the city so the vendor could only use relatively inexpensive fired clay ones, devoid of any decoration. However, it still cost fifteen demon spirit coins, with the promise of getting ten back if you returned the cup. Not that I had any intention of doing that since I was kinda sorta maybe filthy rich. Plus, I was a bit at fault since I let my guard down and didn't pay attention to my void sense.

"My shoes!" I heard my 'assailant' scream out loud so my eyes turned towards the reason of his grief. Seems some drops of tea hit the top of his footwear. Most shoes in Glory City were made of a hard leather bottom with a fabric top. What's more they were white so the pigments in the liquid sunk deep in them, the tannins in the tea making sure it would stain. "You!" He yelled out while pointing at me and I gave him a silent once-over.

In front of me was the very definition of ambiguity if I have ever seen one, and being an internet kid I considered myself pretty versed in all these things. He was no doubt male, his physique and voice being coarse and rough. Even the way he spoke showed that though his use of male-specific words and pronouns.

It was hard to replicate that in English where most of the dictionary is gender neutral. Here, the 'my' in 'my shoes' he used was definitely male formatted. There was a different word that ladies used when talking about what was theirs.

Yet.. He wore bright pink lipstick and there was a pink strand in his shoulder length wavy blond hair. On his body were frilly and tight clothes, fit for a queen... sized bed. This fatass was humongous. I doubt I could circle him in my old car back on Earth on a full tank of gas.

"Umm, me?" I answered, my mind racing to understand just what the f.u.c.k was going on.

The... thing just moved his fingers towards his feet "Do you have any idea how much these cost? How dare you spill that filth on them! I demand compensation!" Oh Buddhas, that voice was like a horny cat scratching on a blackboard, multiplied by ten.

No doubt steam was coming out of my ears by now "First of all, you bumped into me. If anything I should ask you pay for my tea. Second of all, point your finger at me again and it's going up your a.s.s." Not having my fix of caffeine made me a bit cranky.

He took a few weary steps back, clearly not expecting my response. Unfortunately his shock quickly turned to anger and he aimed his digit towards me again "How dare you! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

Nope, and as long as you weren't part of either the Sacred or Blizzard families I wouldn't give a shit. "As far as I'm concerned, you're someone who will have one helluva shitty finger in a few seconds." I replied cracking my knuckles and neck as I took a step forward. Can't be said I didn't warn him...

"You!" He started backpedaling but otherwise kept glaring at me.

A shit eating grin crept up my face as I slowly strolled towards him. You reeeeeaaalllyy have no f.u.c.k.i.n.g clue who you're f.u.c.k.i.n.g with here marshmallow man. Right now I was contemplating how to break the news to him that his a.s.s was basically mine.

"You vulgar creature! I demand your name at once! We'll see that impertinent tongue of yours be cut out!" He yelled out, spittle flying out like the disgusting creature he was.

"I~" It was trailed out with a deep inflection to signify my possession of it "... Don't have to give you jack shit Porky." Came my reply, the boredom in my voice stunning him. "'I~' am busy right now so get the f.u.c.k out of my way. It's almost noon and I have somewhere I need to be."

Judging time by the shadows was a skill I was forced to learn in this cellphoneless place. Still though, it was an imperfect art so even if it was still early I shouldn't risk it.

"Y-You!" He stammered, his previous momentum crumbling like a deck of cards in front of a rhino fart. "Wait, noon?! Damn, she's going to kill me! Consider yourself lucky, filth!" Rainbow grunted and rotated on his heel before walking away.

At that moment another noble looking man chose to make his entrance from the shadow of a nearby tree "Apologies on behalf of my cousin. He seems to think the world revolves around him for whatever reason. I hope you can overlook this. The man you had the disp.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of meeting earlier, my cousin, his name is Shi Ziao. He is a junior apprentice of the Alchemists Association and friends with the daughter of the Divine Family's Internal Affairs Elder. Because of his influence he ended up rather spoilt." His words were mellow but the threat was there. Having strong influence was a determining factor in Glory City more often than not.

The daughter of the Divine Family's Internal Affairs Elder? One of Long Wan's memories came rushing forward. Her name was Chen Zijin, and Long Wan and her used to shadow Chen Linjian when they were younger. Talk about a small Tiny World.

I nodded with a composed expression and jumped away. A few teleports later brought me at the auction house gate just in time to see my s.e.xy Xin escape the confines of her palanquin "Found you love!" I called out and she waved back with a smile. Moments later we were holding hands while gazing in each other's eyes "Sorry you had to take time to accompany this selfish me."

She pecked my cheek and giggled "The selfish one is me darling since I remember inviting myself to join you. But let's not delay. I reserved a private balcony for us."

Nodding, I offered her my elbow and she gracefully took it. Thankfully, there wasn't that much difference in height between us, otherwise this would have been both comical as well as awkward.

However, I didn't manage to make it two steps before the back of my neck was enveloped in a warm and unmistakable softness, while at the same time my left ear began to hear a rhythmic thump. "Hello~! Fancy meeting you here honey!"

Ah, that lovely voice could belong to only one dove. Turning around on my heel I came face to c.h.e.s.t with my lovely Lanruo "Hello angel!" I chirped as my neck and chin took in the warmth of her bosom. Ah, she smelled like cherry trees in full bloom.

A megawatt blush filled her face but she didn't really let me go "Weren't you visiting your friends right now? You should've let me know if you were coming here." The tone she used betrayed her happiness, regardless of how much she wanted to admonish me.

"The visits were cut short since shifu Ye Shuo wanted me to buy a good sword. Figured the auction was the best place to find one, so I've asked your future sister-wife to join me." I admitted, and it was only now that she realized who was accompanying me.

Lanruo peeked to her right to see Xin standing there with an amused expression, mouth covered by her wide sleeve. My void sense was telling me that there was a wide smile hidden behind the cloth. "Ah! Director Xin, it's... Umm.." Rare were the events where the boisterous Lanruo's words would fail her so I strained my memory to remember each one and file them under embarrassing stories to tell the kids.

Xin shoulders started trembling with hidden laughter but she recovered quickly, years of management experience helping her in this regard. Keeping a gentle face she stepped once to close the gap between us and flicked the girl's forehead, an act which made Lanruo cover the spot with both hands. "I believe our future husband told you we're going to be sisters, so no need to be so cold and respectful. And my, my, aren't you a beautiful one." Xin praised before turning to me "So is she the one who wanted to marry first? Actually let's talk more inside. The auction is just about to start." Indeed the servants of the auction house were at work ushering people inside.

As soon as one of them saw Xin she immediately took us in on a separate route, most likely through a VIP entrance, judging by the scarcity of other visitors near it.

It didn't take long to reach our private balcony, and private wasn't just a figure of speech. It was very close to the stage and angled so that people would have no difficulty seeing any items on display. However it was also dimly lit by a single lamp that had a smoke stained cover, giving the lighting a gray undertone. At the same time there was a thin see-though black silk veil obscuring anyone from identifying the people in the balcony, while also capable of being easily parted to give the occupants a better look at what was being auctioned.

We took our seats, Lanruo choosing the one to my left and Xin taking the right one. Not a moment later the announcer started welcoming guests. She was a gorgeous lady with alluring curves and dressed in a tight silk cheongsam that amplified her s.e.x appeal while at the same time granting her a gentle appearance. However, my attention was not drawn to her. Instead, my eyes moved towards the first and second seating areas.

You see, the auction house clients were segregated in three sections. The first was the VIP one which was also closest to the stage and to the exit. Following that was the guest area, where Nie Li was seated during the novel. Directly above it was the place where the rest of the participants. This was where the commoners and people without invitations were left to stand. The private balcony seemed to be a rare exception as only one other existed, directly opposite to our own. However, it seemed to be vacant right now.

My eyes were drawn to the second section where two familiar faces stood, specifically Nie En and Nie Hai. This raised my suspicion a little. It couldn't be 'that' auction, could it? No, if it was then Nie Li would also be here.

"Let's start the day with the first item." The perky hostess announced drawing my attention. "This piece of broken jade was brought by an expert from a nearby ruin. Although broken, it's aura is still strong enough to be sensed. The bid will start at three hundred coins."

Broken jade? That was the first piece that was auctioned in the novel. I don't remember what it was but I felt a stir in my soul realm from it. The bid had reached two thousand coins so it wasn't overly pricey.

"Three thousand!" I called out, my voice echoing more raspy than I intended. Seems that there were some identity concealing inscriptions in the wood of the balcony.

The auctioneer turned to the crows "Three thousand going once. Going twice! Sold to our anonymous guest!"

Lanruo turned to me "Isn't that a little much for some broken jade?" She asked, seemingly out of nothing but pure curiosity.

"That jade caused a reaction in my soul realm. If it helps advance my cultivation then that is considered cheap." I explained and she tilted her head.

At my words Xin let out a small chuckle "Even if it wasn't, it's not like you're suffering from poverty." She teased.

Leaning back I turned to her, mild annoyance scratching the back of my mind "Love, don't forget that I'm a first generation coming from an orphan background. The value of money is much more evident to me." My words were chastising but also playful. Smiling I turned to look back at the stage "But you're correct, as usual. If anything, I'm suffering from wealth."

Lanruo gently tapped my upper arm "How could you suffer from wealth?"

Shrugging I lifted my hand which had three rings on it "There are so many coins in my rings that I'm running out of fingers."

"Oh." Lanruo replied intelligently. And speaking of rings...

"The next item in our auction is a mysterious storage ring recovered from the Ning Yu ancient ruins. Besides its flawless and noble appearance it also has a never before heard of dimensional space of four tenths of a li in diameter." The jewelry was called out in an enthusiastic voice by the hostess. "The entry bid is..."

"One hundred thousand coins!" I called out, not waiting for her answer. That ring was so rare in this world that you could literally, pardon the pun, count them on the fingers of one hand. The only completing ones are the Fire Spiritual Deity, Yu Yan's long lost ring and the ones from the ancient Legend rank corpses that lie at the bottom of the Black Spring.

In my previous life this type of bid was an intimidation act. Playing small sums usually led to lengthy battles of the wallet. Highballing from the start warded off those who are tight of purse. The only problem is that I had no idea how much that thing was worth and just farted out a number that sounded good.

"We have an impatient bidder tonight. One hundred thousand going once. Going twice. Sold, once again to our mystery guest." The announcer cheered happily. Tonight's commission would be big for her.

Lanruo and Xin sighed in unison "That ring wasn't worth half as much" Xin said in an exhausted tone that made me chuckle. The next item was a set of Gold rank armor. It looked a bit sturdier than what I already had but not enough to draw my interest.

Taking Xin's hand in my own I smiled in her direction and said "Let's make a deal."

"Deal?" She asked with a cutesy confused expression.

Nodding I continued "Yes. When we're married I'll give you nine out of ten of anything I earn, on the condition that our family will never be lacking."

Xin put a finger on her chin and looked up as if considering. It didn't take long for her to return with a sour expression, somewhere in the likes of one at the end of a three day constipation "You just want to ditch housekeeping to me, don't you?" She complained and I lifted my hands in surrender.

Lanruo to burst into giggles "She got you!" She poked, like a kid seeing their sibling in trouble.

Once again I shrugged "Would you prefer leaving it to me?" The innocent smile on my face threatened to split my face in two.

The elder of the two sighed "Fine." She muttered while rubbing her temples.

Seeing this I sneaked in and pecked her cheek causing her to jump slightly in surprise "Thank you love!"

A little redness spread across her face. However her eyes widened, her hand moving to point behind me. Looking in that direction I saw that Lanruo had began staring at the floor, cheeks puffed and arms crossed.

Gently placing a hand on her forearm, I drew in closer. This seemed to surprise her but she still would look at me. "What's wrong baby?" I cooed but she only turned away from me.

Xin drew in covertly and whispered something in my ear. My eyes nearly fell out of their socket. Damn, I was denser than lead. "Hey, look at me." I called out to my little mink but she didn't respond "Come on, don't be like that." Again, no response. I sighed in a defeated tone "Well then, I guess you don't want this afterall. Pity it will go to waste now."

This got her attention as she turned to me, curiosity filling her expression and asked a short "What?"

"This!" Filling my hands with her cheeks I brought her in and took her lips in my own. She mumbled a bit before relaxing. Soon she started responding back, her arms rounding my back and her mouth becoming more aggressive and a bit too enthusiastic.

She was a lousy kisser but nobody is perfect at the start. That is one area I would be more than happy to help her perfect. It took a few more moments before she realized it was better to follow my lead and a couple more before we parted with a small wet pop. "I'm sorry." My eyes took in her surprised wet puppy look making me feel like a heel "Should have realized you were feeling left out. I'm a horrible fiancé."

Lanruo looked away, but her gentle smile had returned "Little sis Ning'er told me about Dir.. Umm, big sis Xin. She also told me how you two kissed in the training forest. My heart felt that you left me out but I had enough time to understand you would take it at your own pace. But seeing you so close to big sis right now made me feel so..."

"Wronged. I know, and I'm really sorry." I nodded in acceptance "Promise I'll make it up to you." Never make a good woman feel bad or you fail as a man.

Touching her lips with her free hand she smiled at me "You already did."

I sensed Xin get up and make her way behind Lanruo's seat. She then bent down and took in the younger girl in her arms in a gentle embrace "Little sis, things like this will happen in a large family. You need to learn to be more assertive with what you want. Don't bottle it up inside you because we're here for you." She sounded so motherly it almost melted my heart.

Should I go punch a wall and eat some demon beast barbecue to feel manly again? "More assertive? Her?! Oh no!" Came my reply, my mind realizing too late what my mouth had just released.

A vein appeared on Lanruo's forehead "Why... You!" She growled while grabbing my collar.

Sweating profusely I started thinking that I had a relatively good second life. "Do I at least get time to write my will?" Well, at least I won't die a v.i.r.g.i.n.

"No." Lanruo barked out before pulling me in for a long deep kiss. A French kiss to be more exact. Pulling back for air we both stared at each other in silence.

A grin sneaked its way on my lips "I was terribly wrong. Please be assertive like this in the future!" I admitted, with a hand rubbing the back of my head to remove the awkward, but not unpleasant tingle.

Thankfully for her, it was just then that the armor auction had ended with it going for about one million one hundred thousand coins. "Next up we have a last minute entry. These nine rings were found in a newly discovered temple ruins near the Ancient Orchid City and are made of some mysterious material that gives off a rainbow sheen. No special properties have been identified. The bidding starts at two hundred coins."

Once again there was a tremor in my soul realm. Then again the announcer said that they didn't have anything unusual. Could it be that they were like my cultivation technique, something specific to a select few? Actually it doesn't matter. I'll just buy them then ask Nie Li. "Fifty thousand coins." I called out.

"Fifty thousand from our generous guest going once. Going twice. Sold!" Call it a gut feeling but I knew those rings weren't simple, I just had to find out why. Lucky I was friends with a walking library. "Following this we have something sent by the Alchemist Association to be auctioned . They are Soul Nurturing Pills and the Soul Concentrating Pills!" The host said smiling. "This time, there are a total of a thousand Soul Nurturing Pills and a hundred Soul Concentrating Pills . I remind everyone that there are few chances to get so many pills."

The crowd didn't wait for the announcer to state the starting bid and began throwing in the bids in the millions. "Should I bid?" My question came in the form of a joke, playfulness evident throughout each word.

"Honey, if you need any pill just tell me about it." Xin replied, her tone more serious than my jest demanded.

Squeezing her hand lightly I shook my head "Nie Li has already seen to that. Speaking of Nie..." My gaze fell onto the distraught look on patriarch Nie Hai's face. There are abandoned puppies with more life in them. Sighing I summoned two rings, a piece of paper and a makeshift coal pencil (quill pens were quite bothersome), plus a thousand coin card. Proceeding to write something I then sealed the paper with my soul force such that anyone below my level wouldn't be able to read it. This was repeated with the rings though, this one was superficial and would expire within five minutes. "Steward!" The man who led us in earlier entered at my call. His presence never left my void sense so I knew he had been at the door since he led us in. "Take these two rings and the letter to the Heavenly Marks family in the guest sections. One ring is for Nie En while the rest are for the patriarch. Tell them you know not the source and don't linger anymore than necessarily. The card is yours for the trouble."

"Sir!" The man saluted before quickly leaving to complete the task, shamelessly accepting his generous tip.

"What was that?" Asked the ever curious Lanruo.

Chuckling I retook her hand in my own and explained "That, my princess, was me fixing some of Nie Li's problems."

"Problems?" She tilted her head in confusion. It was so cute.

Nodding I continued "The Heavenly Marks family's economical situation is pretty abysmal for an aristocratic family, with an income of only six hundred thousand a year. Nie Li has been too busy with his cultivation to improve their situation, nor has he shared any pill with them."

Yang Xin peeked from behind me "He hasn't?" She should be sharing tens of thousands of pills with Nie Li, so this is news for her.

I shook my head "While they are all good people, their household is divided into eight branches. Nie Li is interested into bringing them all together while raising his parent's and uncle's prestige. There wouldn't be any recognition had he given them directly to Nie Hai. Thus those rings I sent each contain five thousand Soul Nurturing pills, five hundred Soul Concentrating pills, fifty Soul Tempering pills, fifty Body Tempering Pills and twenty Nine Transformation Pills, with the letter stating that it is a courtesy of Nie Li and I. They are also filled with fifteen million demon spirit coins. Nie En is the elder of Nie Li's branch. If he receives equal value as Nie Hai does then his power should increase thus cementing Li's parents positions even more."

"Then wouldn't it have been better to give elder Nie En all of them?" Asked Lanruo.

Once again I shook my head "If given to Nie En then he would've been strong armed into donating them to the family. Giving each exactly half would make Nie Hai seem greedy if he asked for more. However, that old man has gotten shameless with age so I worded that letter to specify that they are a gift from me." Politics is one thing I will never stop loathing, always beating around the bush, making allies and enemies, and so on. In contrast, socking someone in the jaw is much less of a hassle.

Lanruo looked unconvinced "So? What if they are a gift. Wouldn't those pills be elder Nie En's?"

Xin chuckled "Future husband is so sneaky. What is truly valuable in that gift is not the pills but the intent behind it. Should Nie En surrender them to the patriarch it would signify that he cares little for it. This would be very insulting to the person gift giver, namely Long Wan."

My little teen lover's fist hit her other hand "I get it now!" Women had different political tactics than men in Glory City. Women were generally more subtle, working behind the scenes to curry favor and then take advantage of said favor. On the other hand men traded these intents, as well as official and unofficial alliances. This was probably why Lanruo didn't see the advantage of my actions at first.

"Attention please!" Once again the auctioneer called for our gaze to shift "Next to auction is a bone obsidian tablet with a strange inscription on it recovered from the far away Tiendao island caves. The language has not been identified as the owner returned earlier this morning but there are remnants of a mysterious energy on it that causes plants in a three chi radius to m.a.t.u.r.e rapidly as well as let out a feeling of frostbite warmth." Another expression lost in translation. Here frostbite warmth was referring to that feeling when you're so cold you feel like your warming up. So it can help grow weeds and flowers in a one meter range area, as well as cool down your drinks. Oh how I do miss vodka on the rocks. Maybe I should invent a fridge too "Auction starts at one thousand coins."

"Two thousand!"

"Four thousand"

The pledges kept coming. As for me. Well… it wasn't something I was particularly interested in. This wasn't something that was presented in the novel but I remember that there was also a section where it said that Nie Li bought more stuff than was actually explained, especially after the bids for the pills came and gone. And like I said before, I was suffering due to money. How I would love to have a space like that scroll, what was it called? Mountains, rivers something-something?

It was a special cheat item Nie Li got in a later part of the novel. There was a nigh-limitless amount of high level energy inside it which helped him in various ways. But that wasn't the most important part. No, what attracted me was the fact that it could be used as a pocket dimension linked to the soul realm. You could basically store whatever jack shit you wanted inside it since it and it would be accessible even if you became butt-n.a.k.e.d or you died and reformed your body. Few people could sense it and even fewer could access it against your will. It was the ultimate item vault.

Instantly I felt a pit in my soul force, and a thought overtook my mind regardless of what I was contemplating at that moment. It was a similar feeling to having a revelation, though not quite the same. In response to that idea I squeezed my right fist lightly and two rings disappeared in a shadowy smoke. Panic welled up from my heart thinking I lost a great deal of stuff I had collected up to now. There was not a moment's delay from when I wished them back that they appeared there, my two lovers being none the wiser.

Testing it again, I wished for a single ring to vanish and it did. It was a ring filled just with money so no big loss if it disappeared. Though Nie Hai would probably have a heart attack thinking that making two billion coins go up in spiritual smoke as not something serious. Then again, he would probably come back to life when he saw that I could return it to my finger, which I did. This was something to investigate in detail later. Now there was an auction that was begging me to buy it out. "Fifty thousand!" I spoke out at the second going, just before someone could buy the tablet for nine hundred seventy five coins.

"Damn!" A woman called out. Probably the same one who was just about to get it.

Needless to say, nobody bet higher. Without knowing what it was, that was a simple trinket to grow flowers in a pot. Unless you ran a flower shop, that thing was useless. Maybe it could be put to work as air conditioning. At least at first glance. If I learned anything from Nie Li it was that some things aren't what they seem.

Following this was an assortment of different trinkets put out for auction, including an elixir bottle made from warm jade which Xin bought for herself. Still though, there were no weapons put up, much less swords which got me a little annoyed but, eh, what can you do?

The only other thing that caught my attention were four broaches with a rose motif. Each one was made of different gems so there was a ruby one, an emerald one, another one made of amethysts and finally the last one was made of sapphires. They looked shattered but it was actually part of the design, as the cracks had been filled with gold. I remember a similar technique from Earth, or more specifically Japan. It used gold to repair shattered pottery.

Those roses were beautiful, a perfect match for my three princesses. I could just sell or keep the last one as a spare. Naturally, I outbid the competition.

"Thank you all for participating!" The announcer called out happily. "This concludes the bidding round for common items. We will have a short break so that our VIPs can be seated properly." Just then, the main doors opened and in came the top dogs of Glory City's nobility, minus the Blizzard Family. Among the group I recognized Linjian, Yunfeng and At the request of the stewards they all took their appointed seats near the stage. "Esteemed guests, thank you for joining us today! We have a special item prepared for you today." A pedestal was rolled on the stage, all the while covered by a red and ornate cloth.

Pulling the cloth away revealed a black jade cauldron the size of a small household pot. It looked like it was made of cast iron, but also sparkling and translucent with an almost gem-like shine. There was also an inscription at the bottom of it in a language I couldn't recognize, signifying how ancient it was. "No f.u.c.k.i.n.g way!" I called out, completely forgetting I was in the company of ladies.

"According to our patriarch, the aura of this pot can strengthen demon spirits should a spiritualist cultivate near it. As a result you can be guaranteed that this is an unrivalled treasure. Bid starts at eight million coins." The cute announcer declared with a bounce in her movement.

Yang Xin turned to me "Do you know what that item is?"

My excitement fell and I looked towards the floor in deep contemplation. If I tell her what it is then she might report it to the City Lord. If that guy knows about this then he might claim it for the good of the people, not realizing the damage he would do in the future. I have already made steps in securing the security of the city, so this treasure would be wasted here.

On the other hand, it is my beloved Xin we're talking about. Someone I would burn my soul to give a minute of happiness to. Lying was absolutely against my principles when talking to my loved ones. If you don't trust your soul mates then you don't deserve them.

Making up my mind I turned to her with solemnity in my heart and nodded "There was information regarding that pot in a story I read sometime ago. If it is what I think it is then, for your safety and the safety of Glory City, I can't tell you more about it. At least not yet. If you trust me then, please, don't ask me about it." Turning to the other side my eyes caught Lanruo's "Please. Also, don't tell anyone about it."

The girl's shocked expression didn't tell me if she will honor my request or not. Hesitantly, she took my hand into hers and nodded "Okay, I'll trust you."

Xin took my shoulders in her palms and drew her head over them "As will I. If you say it's that important to you I won't pry. But I do hope you will let me know in the future." She said before quickly touching my right cheek with her lips.

There was a pang in my heart as I thought of all the secrets I kept from them. These girls as well as Ning'er will be my wives in the future, someone who will link their fates with mine. A marriage built on secrets and deceit wouldn't last. But it was much too soon to let them know. "Give me a year at most and I will tell you all about me. Every dark and inconvenient truth, I promise to lay it b.a.r.e." I sighed. It would potentially shatter everything but so be it. There were few things that would make me step over my principles and this wasn't one of them.

You might think that a lot of time had passed and the auction would've ended. In reality only a few seconds had gone while I explained the situation to my girls so the bidding was still in full swing. Unfortunately for them, I already knew the limits that one audience member from the Dark Guild could go to. "One hundred and twenty million!" My distorted voice came out from behind the privacy inscriptions earning many shocked gasps. It was a ten times markup from the previous bid so no-one decided to push further.

Lanruo gasped "Isn't that a bit much?" Beads of sweat had formed on her brow. True, nobody would expect the item to go over a third of that but if they knew about it they would understand that even five hundred million would be cheap.

Her hand was enveloped by my own in a reassuring gesture but I didn't say anything. She nodded in understanding as she was quite a clever girl. And she did promise to give me a year. When we go to the Draconic Ruins Realm I will reveal everything to her as well as her future sisters. The path we are walking will lead us to battle the Sage Emperor. I always felt that it was unfair of Nie Li to rope our brothers and sisters into battle without telling them the future he has in store for them but I figured that it wasn't my place to tell them. But these are the women I love. It was my burden to b.a.r.e.

I felt someone from the crowd in the commoner area shuffling towards the item receiving area through my void sense and it knocked me out of my musings. Seems this f.u.c.ker was the Dark Guild member, most likely someone pretty far up the food chain, and he trying to find out who we were. In the novel, it was my darling Xin who won out the bid in the name of the main character and was later attacked inside her home by a Gold Rank spiritualist. This time, they had no idea who we were and this was something I could definitely use to my advantage.

"Steward!" I called out and the man entered and bowed. Fishing out a spare storage ring before handing it to him I ordered the following "I will personally collect the items we bid for today. Go first to prepare them and wait for me there."

The man cupped his hands and left but not before giving a curt "Yes'sir!"

Sensing him leaving I turned to my girls and whispered "Seems someone from the Dark Guild also eyed that item. I will go pick them up alone. Try to sneak out unnoticed and wait for me in the nearby green area."

"What!?" both of them spoke in unison before getting in my face. Being that they were taller than me I was now in a face-to-b.o.o.b.s conversation.

Lanruo bent down and took my eyes into her own with a stern expression "It's too dangerous! Let me call my dad for help!" She spoke, her hands on her h.i.p.s in a big-sister style.

"I can call a few Black Gold ranks to assist as well." Xin responded, her words a bit more gentle but still filled with worry.

Shaking my head I turned towards her "Those resources would be best spent tailing that guy." Taking them both in a three way hug I whispered comfortingly in their ears "It would be unreasonable of me to ask you not to worry so I'll just request that you to trust me. Besides..." Letting them go, albeit hesitantly, I called forth the Shadow Devil and started vanishing into thin air "I have my ways."

The words echoed as I teleported away to the far side of the auction house where I repeated the process, this time aiming for the room where I sensed the steward was.

"There." The man called as the last of the items were placed in the ring.

The lady auctioneer placed her hands on her h.i.p.s "And when will we be expecting our mysterious shopper to appear. He owes us quite a bit. Not to mention that if they skip out on it and we'll have to reset these for auction we will lose quite a bit of face."

What she didn't know was that I was less than three steps behind her so I dispelled the Shadow Devil which caused my camouflage to become undone as well. "It's not nice to badmouth guests behind their backs." I answered

"Eep!" she jumped away in fright, landing princess style in the hands of the attendant. "Who are you?!" She pointed out to me in an annoyed fashion.

"Miss. He is the private buyer." The steward answered for me while still holding onto her. She was quite attractive so my guess is that you couldn't claim it was against his will.

She finally wiggled out of his grip and did me a once-over "Him!?" She asked before turning to me "You.. Aren't you a little young to be here?" Her tone was quite rude to be honest but it was no skin off my d.i.c.k. Actually it would hurt the numbers of the tip I would be leaving so she was actually digging in her own wallet.

Shrugging I called forth the money from my ring. Total cost for the pot and other items was about one hundred and thirty seven million, rounded up to include her tip. I would've rounded it up to the hundred forty million if she hadn't been so rude. "Age has little to do with ability. Here is the money and you can keep the change."

Her eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets. She walked over and took the man-sized pile of bills into her own ring before confirming it with soul force "P-payment received in full. Thank … you for your patronage." The snappy tone had turned mono after seeing the cash but it wasn't my place to care. I quickly snatched up the ring with my things from the equally stupefied steward and walked briskly towards the darker part of the room. There I merged with the Shadow Devil and cloaked before teleporting away, all of which took no more than a few moments, and less than it took for them to shake off their shock.

I found the two lovely ladies in the park where I had previously encountered lord Lard from the universe ruled by fries and medium drinks. We enjoyed each other's company a bit more before we had to depart to our separate business. Personally, I couldn't keep my mind on the present because the situation I was currently in. While having the Nightmare Demon Pot in my possession was an incredible asset, the fact that a good sword eluded me was not in my advantage. Looks like I will have to bother Nie Li to help me with equipment yet again. Well, I'll just call it fair trade for the Pot. Talk about being a pot dealer...

However, before I could appeal to that time traveling troublemaker, I had to make a quick detour, and the store in front of me was my stop. Specifically, it was the top demon beast spirit store in the city. No sooner did I enter did the chimes from which the entrance curtains hang from ring. "Ah! Welcome! Buying or selling?" Asked the middle-aged shopkeeper. Is he related to the Fighters and Spiritualist Association clerk?

"That depends." I stated cryptically "What is your policy on customer privacy?" Anymore attention after this auction could prove fatal. I was already neck deep in hot shit with the Pot in my possession, and if the Dark Guild finds out that I have it then let's just say a four-twenty charge is not what's in-store for me.

The man smiled "Any legal trade is protected by the laws of Glory City. Our lips are sealed." Pride echoed in his voice as he stated that and I nodded.

"Then, I would like to buy." My ring flashed with anticipation of lightening its load.

Clapping his hands together the man jumped enthusiastically "Wonderful! What kind of spirit are you looking for? We have a wide assortment of Bronze and Silver rank spirits. If you can afford it we even have some good Gold and Black Gold ones." He waved his hands over the display crystals holding some sample spirits.

Shaking my head I approached him and leaned over the counter "Is it too impolite to ask you to open a private room for us? My order will be a bit larger than that."

The shopkeeper blinked a few times before smiling "Oh, buying in bulk I see. Very well, please follow me..." With those words he started leading me down a corridor behind the counter.

Heh, 'buying in bulk' he says. This will be amusing...

We entered a sparsely decorated room with only two couches and a low table in the center of it. Seems this place was only used for transactions and nothing more. "Now then dear customer..." He began all business-like "What would you like to order? For three spirits we have a discount of two percent. For five it's four percent and for over ten it is nine percent." He looked so proud of his business model it was almost cute.

Coughing in my sleeve I dispelled the laugh that was welling in my throat "Let's see... Do you have any fighter, blizzard, storm, wind, flame, lightning, earth and chaos type spirits?" I asked as if ordering tea.

Speaking of tea, his took a detour down deepthroat lane. Finishing a bout of coughing he nodded and confirmed that all were available except flame and chaos types. The former because they were pretty rare in the cold environment of the surrounding mountain range and he had no idea what a chaos type demon spirit was. Nodding I accepted his words and leaned down over the table, which wad indeed pretty low "Then, I'll be buying your entire stock."

The shopkeeper nearly fell over, but before he could protest I continued "I have over a billion spirit coins in my budget so that is of no concern, though I do hope for a fair price." There is a limit on how much I was willing to spend and that was close to three hundred mills. The rest were a backup for buying Ning'er out of the Sacred Family. Considering them, they wouldn't pass the chance of earning one or three billion coins for one measly fiancé, especially once you viewed Shit Fei's flower (v.i.r.g.i.n.i.t.y) count. With that much money he could buy himself a harem of beautiful and talented ladies and still have still cash to spare. Not that I didn't have better options but I'm a hen that hates laying all eggs in one basket.

Perking up, the man instantly shot up to a standing position and bowed courtly "Of course young lord. At once." I didn't even have time to correct him on his choice of asskiss before he bolted out the door leaving me to enjoy some of their cheap dilute tea, the very definition of hot leaf juice. Oh well, it was indeed a demon spirit shop and not a tea terrace, though their hospitality could do with some improvement.

It was the type that I wanted Shit Fei to experience, though if I have my way then I'll really put the hospital in hospitality when we meet again. Knowing him, he should be dancing around 3-star Silver. Compared to my 5-star level, supercharged by my denser soul force then he would be a stain on the wall faster than he can cry to his daddy.

An order of that size would take a while to collect though so I chose to meditate and raise my soul force. Surprisingly, the area here seemed to contain a higher concentration of soul force and Law energy than nearly anywhere else in Glory City. Trust me, I looked. Maybe it was because of being in close proximity to so many demon spirits. Well, I'm not one to waste a good opportunity when it reveals itself.

It didn't take long for me to enter anatta state, where you lose the link with your ego and become one with the world. It was relatively easy for me due to the mental fortification the Heavenly Void Dragon God technique granted me. Soon the world faded out of my senses as I awoke in the now familiar domain.

"Glad you could visit." The gruff yet kind voice of old man Qin greeted me as I slowly turned towards him, mind still rebooting from the surreal peace anatta granted me.

"Rrruuu!" A cheerful and chirpy growl echoed in the space before a small dark blur barreled into me at high speed. Luckily my armor didn't transfer to my astral body otherwise it would've been pretty painful for my assailant. Last time I had sensed Nie Yu and jumped back at the last instance out of instinct which negated most of her momentum but my void sense had no effect in this place. Specifically, astral bodies had no substance so they wouldn't obstruct the flow of energy making it impossible to sense them. Add to that the grogginess that meditation left me and there was no way I would be able to dodge this impact.

Speaking of impact, I knew that little purr as well as the owner of that voice. Looking down towards my l.a.p I saw the little wolf cub I had saved in the training grounds snuggling up to my stomach in humanoid form. Instinctively my hand moved to pet her to which he let out a lower humm and moved her head to match my ministrations.

"Well this is unexpected." Qin interjected, his voice joyful as he hummed "Xun'er doesn't even like sitting on my knee. I'm a little jealous." He laughed as I picked up the little pup with one hand and turned towards the spiritual deity. This time he stood in a lavish armchair made of wood with gold trimmings. What was surprising was that he wasn't alone this time as the guardian wolf and mother of the little she-pup in my arm was resting coiled around the piece of furniture. "Have you two met already?" The ancient man asked with genuine curiosity.

I nodded in a silent answer before tilting my head "How come you didn't know that?" Everything within the Tiny World was his to know and influence, so how come he wasn't aware of this?

He didn't reply, choosing instead to point towards the timeline torus. My gaze followed his finger and I squinted in an attempt to understand what he was trying to let me know. "See anything different?" He asked with mild amus.e.m.e.nt as well as slight annoyance.

"What is it that I should be seeing?" Came my reply. Nothing seemed to change. I still saw Ning'er, Lanruo, Xin, Nie Li as well as the others just fine.

Qin then appeared to my right and joined me at staring at the torus. "It's more about what you're not seeing." He answered sagely.

Frowning, I focused hard on the shifting and warping timelines before the answer hit me and my eyes widened "Me! I'm not there anymore!" My presence vanished from the time stream. You could still infer it through many interactions, such as seeing my lovers having kids with features very similar to Long Wan's but my direct existence was nowhere to be found. Turning my head towards Qin so fast that you could hear my neck crack I let out a single question "How?!".

The spirit deity shrugged "Beats me!" He replied "I've never seen anything like this in the millennia I've functioned as the Time Space deity. Have you done something different lately or experienced anything unusual?" Asked Qin with genuine curiosity, as if I was a rare species for him to study.

This question made me roll my eyes. Are you kidding me? Ever since I woke up in a place I used to think was a f.u.c.k.i.n.g web novel everything has been unusual. Where should I start?

"Mrro?" A curious growl awoke me from my musings as the she-cub, Xun'er was her name I guess, stirred in my arms while analyzing my expression with curious eyes. As soon as my own gaze met hers realization hit me. The Nighttime Direwolf!

How lame of a brain can I have? "The best thing that I could think of was merging with... Xun'er's father demon spirit." While my brain can be slow, my senses are not and I had caught the name of the little wolf that took to clinging onto me so fondly.

"Ah..." His tone became saddened "So Wan'er spirit is with you." It was strange hearing the crazy and cheerful man mellow down to that of someone who lost his best friend. So the wolf's name was also Wan, called Wan'er in a show of affection. Well, they don't call it the 'Tiny' World for nothing. Remember, wan also meant night which was more fitting for the wolf than it was for Long Wan.

"Were you two close?" It was obvious that they were, no doubt about it. However that didn't tell me exactly how close or how I should respond. My personality was more of the loner type than anything so I had some difficulty consoling people.

Qin nodded and inhaled deeply before letting it all out "Wan'er was my spirit partner." Taking a moment to recollect himself he then turned to me "How did he die?". That was a question I was not expecting so I shifted my eyes towards the grown wolf watching us from her position by the throne. Qin shook his head "Cai'er has just mastered her transformations. She is a long way from being able to speak. Wan'er would usually convey her wants to me, but now..."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair "When I met them, Qin Wan was severely wounded by a Gold Rank space-time lion demon beast with Wan'er next in line to fall. I managed to chase away the lion before it could hurt them." My words came out with great sorrow as I nodded towards the little one in my arms as well as her mother. "Qin Wan's spirit was laced with his remaining will. It told me that he was ambushed by that beast while enjoying the night with his family."

Elder Qin growled deeper than Cai had ever managed to lay out. "When I get my hands on that overgrown cat, I'll f.u.c.k.i.n.g skin it alive! I will decorate my throne with it's fur!" He whispered, soul force radiating outwards laced with killer intent. It froze me in place, my mind shutting down. I couldn't even f.u.c.k.i.n.g breathe, the pressure constricting my lungs. It was like I was an insect under the shadow of a very heavy boot. This was a Heavenly Fate realm expert.

The sensation vanished just as quickly as it came and I collapsed on one knee, the last vestiges of my willpower going solely to protect little Xun'er in my arms. Sensing my distress she jumped out of my arm, so I allowed myself to relax, awaiting the cold embrace of the white astral floor. It never came as Shihuang managed to catch me and let me rest on his arm "My apologies." he murmured, genuinely sorry for the stress he had indirectly caused me.

Sweet spiritual oxygen filled my lungs. Even if this space was a projection of his spiritual divinity, and I was here with my mind's body, it was still important to breathe. Anything that transpired here would be transmitted to my real body so if I died of suffocation here then I would cease to live in the physical plane.

"F.u.c.k me, that was intense." I gasped out after several deep breaths "Who in the hell called you the weakest Spiritual Deity?" In terms of combat at least. His abilities were more strategy orientated than frontline so while he couldn't nuke the battlefield, he could most certainly influence it in many ways. This was to be expected when you could travel through the temporal dimension as easily as you could in any direction.

He coughed in his sleeve "Language young man. Who the f.u.c.k taught you to swear like that?" His voice was monotone, with slight hints of amus.e.m.e.nt, well at least the hints that his grieving allowed him.

"It's an acquired talent…" I responded more to myself as my hands moved to dust my astral clothes of spiritual dust. He really should hire a spirit maid or something, sheesh. You could catch some kind of soul allergies here. Shihuang snorted a suppressed laugh as I turned towards him.

"Fuk?" Echoed a tiny voice. Oh no.... Both Shihuang and I turnes towards Xun'er who was looking quite pleased with herself at imitating us. "Fuk." She said again and gave a puppy yip in celebration.

The old man turnes towards me, something which I mirrored. We both had a silent conversation with our eyes, stoic expressions on our faces. Finally we simultaneously nodded in acceptance of our taciturn agreement to never swear in front of innocent kids. Ever.

Now we needed a diversion, one I was happy to provide "On a side note, I realized that I'm missing from the torus because my friend told me that my timeline was now sealed. What does that mean anyway?" As the spiritual deity overseeing spacetime in the Tiny World he should have some insight into this.

The old man closed his eyes and sighed "Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer. But since you're so eager to hear your thoughts in my voice... Some creatures such as spacetime spirit beasts and demon beasts are exempt from the confines of the current of time and the boundaries of space. This is innate and is present in all of them regardless of what kind of combat abilities they have. What I'm doing as a Spirit Deity is more of a parody of that dimensional immunity, since my authority only applies in this Tiny World, whilst theirs stretches beyond the confines of even higher domains. This means that your fate is beyond the eyes or influence of even the most powerful entities residing in them. Except if your physical path should intersect with them, only then would they be able to alter it."

As I suspected. It meant that my time coordinates had been shifted to a higher plane. Instead of my existence being largely four dimensional, as in left-right, front-back, up-down, plus time, it was now at hyperdimensional levels above four. Einstein would've had a raging physics boner had he experienced this. In overly simplified and gross layman's terms: if my positions in space and time were on shelves, then they would now be right at the top with the cookie jar, outside the reach of even the top know powers in the TDG universe, or even other spacetime entities. Only an existence that was on an even higher plane would be able to affect them.

Sadly, it also meant that Shihuang could do nothing to alter Qin Wan's death since that was also beyond what the old man could now do. Even if he entered the flow of time to return to the past and change it, the what the old man could now do. Even if he entered the flow of time to return to the past, the outcome would remain the same. It was chaos theory 101.

Shihuang coughed once again "Enough of that. While unexpected, it should prove very useful to you if you still d.e.s.i.r.e to walk the same path as before." He nodded to nobody in particular, as if he was just confirming his own words to himself.

At this point I felt a tug on my sleeve and saw little Xun looking at me with concern etched in her gaze. To quell her worries I placed a gentle hand on her head, the warmth apparently soothing her as she snuggled her face in my t.h.i.g.h, ears bent like a happy puppy.

The old man chuckled drawing my attention "Though it pains me deeply that Wan'er is gone, I can't help but feel he never left us. His spirit now lives in you, in more ways than one. And personally, I can't think of anyone else I'd like more to carry out his legacy, other than you. Pehaps… it was no coincidence you shared the same name." A single tear fell down his cheek before he wiped it with his sleeve.

Cupping my hands I bowed towards him "I didn't want his spirit.." I explained earning a hostile eyebrow raise promising me pain if I didn't continue "It was something I didn't feel worthy of, and that it should be with his family. But now that it is with me, I will make sure his feelings and his will be respected to the utmost. So thank you senior Qin! And on behalf of all memories left behind I ask you not to cry for Wan'er's death, but to cherish the memories of his life. It was what both of us Wans would want."

The scornful gaze was replaced with a tearful smile "Cherish the memories… Yes… That's so much like Wan'er. So much like him…" A pained laugh escaped yet again. "Very well, I will try. But I've kept you here long enough. You should return back to your reality."

As he mentioned that my eyes widened as I remembered something "Before I go, you wouldn't know where I can find a good sword, would you?" It was a long shot but if anyone could tell me it was probably him.

"A sword?" He parroted before cupping his chin "Actually, I may be able to help you." He stated and turned to his right, and my left as he had been face to face. With a wave of his arm the space in front of him shifted to an endless desert plain filled with thousands upon thousands of swords, some ornate, some plane, big ones, small ones, all stuck in the ground, like murderous stalks of grass. "My collection has gotten a bit exaggerated over time. If I had a missus she would probably be on my a.s.s right now to clear up some space. So… Take your pick. You can have more than one if you want."

Holy mother of death! What the hell was this, a killingscape?! Well, as I found myself repeating more often than not, I'm not one to look a gift sword in the blade.

I began strolling through the field. A good looking but ornate blade would serve me no purpose. It should have no gold, silver or any bullshit like that. There weren't a lot of things that I remember from my previous identity, but I did remember I was a mechanical engineer before this, so I had some notion about material science and metallurgy. The best weapon was made of steel. There was no replacement for that as no other metal or composite could hold an edge better. Even titanium, as praised as it was, chipped easily. It's prowess was in tensile strength afterall, not granular structure. It would take a hit and not break but it would certainly dent. Steel on the other hand would generally bounce back from all but the hardest hits. And regardless what Minecraft would have you believe, diamond would chip and break as hardness doesn't necessarily mean toughness. In compression it would be great but hit it at just the off angle and pop goes your blade, along with your life.

On this notion, I'll say it again gold was one of the worst things you could make an edge weapon out of. Disregarding the cost you might as well make a sword out of lead. Actually a lead sword would have the same resistance but would actually weigh less as it was about half the density of gold.

Stumbling across one that looked like it had potential I picked it out of the ground to inspect it. It had a shape reminiscent of a tai chi sword, with a mirror steel double sided blade, wooden grip and a barely ornate bronze guard. Taking a few trial swings I found it had a pleasant grip that was not tiring, nor did it fight my control. In fact, I felt vague happiness once I picked this thing up, and a tingly sensation through my arm. Seeing that it was pretty good, I then decided to see how compatible it was with my soul realm so I focused some Void energy through my arm and inside the blade.

Instantly the comfortable feeling disappeared and the blade started to violently vibrate in my hand. Black Void flames engulfed it as it rocked even harder and I had no choice but to let it go. It fell tip first into the ground below before sinking further beyond the hilt until I couldn't even see it anymore. The f.u.c.k!? My heart skipped a beat as I turned to senior Qin. Did I just f.u.c.k up his sword. However, he seemed amused at this turn of events and even waved off my concerns.

While flabbergasted, I simply shrugged and returned to see if I can find another blade. However, a strange thing started happening. As I moved through the field of swords, they began sinking in the ground as soon as I was within three meters radius of them. Regardless of what direction I took, they all began to disappear from me. "They're afraid of you." Shihuang said as he appeared floating above me.

"Afraid of me?" my question came along with a raised eyebrow.

He chuckled "Specifically, they're afraid of your soul force. It's too overwhelming. Your soul ocean is like a black inescapable pit. These swords are special as they have gained sentience through absorbing the spirits of the slain. But the energy your spirit gives out is enough to gobble even that constructed will. Even I never met one like you before. I think you should give up. I'm truly sorry, but there isn't a sword here who would follow you anymore." He said in a disappointed tone. Not at me mind you, but disappointed with the outcome.

Taking a look at him to consider what he said I finally made up my mind to keep going. Hasn't anyone told him that I don't give up so easily? My momma may have raised a fool, but she didn't raise no quitter. As I continued making my way through the plain of blades I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Specifically a patch of emptiness that wasn't made by me. Moving towards it I finally reached the edge and saw it was an empty disc of earth. Well, it was empty if you didn't count what was in the middle of it.

Standing dead center were two Chinese jians. Well, almost. It looked like the swords were half of a whole split down the middle, with one side being as jet-black as my soul realm, while the other was peppered with shifting dots of red, blue and white, like stars in the sky. This caught my attention and I moved closer. To my delight these two didn't sink as soon as I got in range. "Careful boy!" the elder Qin's voice resounded over me. "These two are the wild horses in my collection. It took all I had just to be able to contain them here. As you can see, even the other swords don't particularly like their company." the old man warned with a stern voice.

Armed with this new knowledge I moved closer, this time taking it a bit slower. Just as I moved to grab the black one it instantly shifted upwards so that it's edge past my thumb, nicking it in the process. There was no helping the yelp that escaped my throat. Not from the pain, tis but a scratch and it healed faster than it should be possible without a pill. However the surprise still got me. "Told you." Qin chuckled a bit.

As the surprise died out a tremor invaded my arm and I could feel unimaginable sadness, loneliness, and guilt, beyond what even Nie Li's soul transmitted at the time of our merger. Clenching my fist I suppressed the feeling and looked at the two swords before turning to the edge of the perimeter created by those cowardly cutting instruments.

My eyes fell onto the twin edges once more. "You're all alone…" I cooed, my heart reaching out to them. That itch of not belonging where you are, I know it all too well. It's not every day that you wake up in a different world, hell, even a different body than your own. "You don't have to be.". My hands reached for both of them but this time I didn't flinch as they both rose and I grabbed them by the razor sharp edges. It stung like a bitch but it wouldn't kill me. My peak Silver rank constitution could more than handle the palms of my arms being slashed and any transmitted injuries would be healed by top quality pills and herbs. But the emotional pain they leeched in through the cuts was dozens of times worse. If one small nick could give centuries of grief, what could two deep slashes?

The dark emotions began overtaking me. 'Worthless!' I kept thinking. 'We're no good!' echoed through my mind. 'We can't protect anyone!' 'They will all die!' 'We will let them die!' Voices reverberated inside my soulspace and I began losing consciousness. Vaguely, I could hear elder Qin telling me something but I couldn't follow him. The words were too strong and made be consider what the f.u.c.k I thought I was doing, playing hero like some kind of cheap comic book main character? This was real life, where people die for real. Cold darkness filled my vision. My friends, my family, I will eventually lose them all…

…

'…' A distant voice called out, too faint to tell who it was or what it said.

'… an.' It spoke again, this time much more pronounced, unmistakably feminine and drowning out the negatives.

"Long Wan." It was loud and clear… And it was Ning'er. She appeared in arms reach in front of me, her vision surrounded by a blue glow as bright as a lightning bolt in pitch black darkness. I stretched out a bleeding hand and she took it in her own and brought it to her cheek "I believe in you." She said softly.

At that same moment, I felt a welcomed warmth engulf my back. "You're our man. There's no way you'd lose." Lanruo spoke as pink shining arms sn.a.k.e.d their way around my waist and laid her head on my shoulder.

Another presence made itself felt with two very loving hands resting on my knee. "Don't lose faith in yourself." Xin appeared, green as radiating Ning'er's blue and Lanruo's pink.

"Don't give up!" a male this time called out "Ain't no way we're gonna lose to anyone!" Lu Piao boomed from a step away, arms crossed and body radiating crimson red.

"You're our brother. Even if you were to go to hell I would fight king Yama to be allowed follow you." Du Ze, calm yet affirmative words echoed from next to Lu Piao, flame like lightning thinly covering him.

"You? Lose? We won't allow it!" The trio spoke in unison as they appeared, each radiating as much as Du Ze and the others.

Finally, directly opposite me appeared Nie Li in his a.d.u.l.t spirit visage, bright golden orange dissolving the darkness away. "Our spirits and destinies are linked. If you fall, I will pull you up! If I call for help then you will answer! We're not alone anymore." It was the Nie Li I held in my heart, all of them were as how I felt about them. "We both lived once with too many regrets. Will you let this life end the same?" he boomed and all of them slowly vanished as my senses returned.

The endless bladed field returned, with my hands still clutching the swords. "No." I growled, and the swords started to vibrate "No more regrets." Steam came out from behind my teeth as my tears dried out. The two blades began to violently tremble, cutting deeper into my hands but I refused to let them go.

Fixing my eyes on them, my grips tightened "Just what are you so scared of? Thar pitch black despair of losing your everything… And that horror of abandonment… Paranoia, mistrust and danger to those who you're supposed to protect… All of those.. I know them all too well!" I yelled out with a force I didn't even know I had as both object began to shake even more uncontrollably than before, desperately trying to run away from me and my words. "But beyond all that, that all consuming regret that fills you up… Stop running away from it!" The last order came out even more forceful than before.

My void tendrils sneaked out from the cuffs of my sleeves and began wrapping around the struggling swords. "I said it once before and I'll say it again. Regardless if it is a god or a Buddha, if it stands in my way I will feed it to the Void." Slowly but surely the void imbued soul force began to steadily cover them in a blanket of 'nothingness'. When I woke up in this world I swore to myself that I won't allow regret to stop me from forging my path with my own prowess. So if you won't stop running away from your painful past… Then let me have it!" I yelled, anger rising as I saw myself in them. "I am Long Wan! You hear me?" My anger was boiling over. These two f.u.c.kers think they can overcome me?! Not a snowball's f.u.c.k.i.n.g chance in a volcano.

"I will turn it all to 'nothing'!" With one final throaty holler the two blades became still and I felt them finally submit to me as the darkness of my soul force covered every last bit of them and they went up in shadowless smoke to become one with my soul realm.

Breathing out a sigh of relief I let myself fall as my a.s.s hit the hard desert ground. This has been one crazy a.s.s day. I still can't believe I actually wrestled two pieces of … whatever the f.u.c.k metal they're made of, by their hair splitting edge no less. Speaking of which, I better fix those… cuts? My hands looked pristine, as if they were never injured. I know I heal fast but not that fast. And it wasn't that I was in this astral realm either. Was it the swords? Hmmm, I would need to look into this.

"Well pull my p.a.n.t.i.e.s and color me impressed." Qin laughed from above me. On that note I didn't know you could speak ancient Chinese with a Texan accent. The more you know… "While not quite soul weapons, those twin blades bonded with your soul. Quite peculiar. What are their names?" He asked, his voice brimming with curiosity.

Looking at him while tilting my head I continued asking "Their?" Being bonded with my soul made the blades part of me. It was like asking if my left and right feet were separate from my being. They weren't. "Those twin blades are actually one sword with separate purposes. A single being manifested in a duality." Kind of like the Christian God where a Trinity was one being. An abstract concept beyond Newtonian understanding.

Qin smirked "Still, what will you call them?" He would not pander to my reasoning.

Cupping my chin I went deep on thought. Initially I was tempted to name them by my dragon theme but I went against that. "Méiyǒu" It meant 'non-existing', a synonym for 'void' and I will not, repeat, will not transcribe that with diacritics ever again. "Dark will be the name of the black blade and Astra will be the dotted side's." They were spoken in clear English, my proficiency in it was something I took pride in in previous life.

Suddenly, my vision became cloudy as my body started going transparent "Seems your time here is up." Shihuang mumbled "See you next time you stinkin' brat!" He sent me off with a wave. "Hope you don't collapse like a sissy from two love cuts next time." This old fart, why was he so endearing?

Flashing a toothy grin at him I flipped him off "Bye you crazy geezer! Thanks for the sword!" My words resounded as I disappeared, leaving a smiling deity to curse up a storm, a censored one that is...