"If I could, why wouldn't I?" Ja Sun smiled and replied.
"It may hurt your pride to know the truth so let me lie— I didn't feel like wasting spirit energy on your group of misfits. Bring me a real challenge and I'll probably reveal my true strength."
"Answer my question," the binding turned tighter as Ja Sun began chuckling and coughing simultaneously.
'This Domain also increases spirit concentration. Can she feel that I'm still absorbing spirit energy?' Ja Sun's mind didn't stop working but he grinned on the outside, "I did answer you. It's your turn to find out which one is the truth and which one is the lie."
"I could kill you," Ah Yin whispered. The surrounding blades of grass instantly grew out and turned around to morph into a makeshift drill.
"Then stop wasting both of our times. Do it already," Ja Sun smiled coldly. His expression looked weary but for a moment, Ah Yin felt that she was looking at a vast sea of blood.
'Hmm?'
Both of their expressions changed.
'He still has killing intent?' Ah Yin was astounded.
'My bloodlust was suppressed?' Ja Sun felt even stranger. Bloodlust is a semi-physical manifestation of the entire experience cultivated through death and massacre. Ja Sun, when required, could reveal an extremely vast bloodlust that could simply stun intelligent lifeforms out of fear but right now, it was suppressed by quite a bit.
'To reveal bloodlust in my domain... what kind of comprehension is that,' Ah Yin narrowed her eyes.
"You... really don't have any spirit rings?" Ah Yin inquired.
"I guess that inspection of spiritual energy isn't where this skill of yours shine," Ja Sun mumbled to himself but his words were loud enough so that Ah Yin could hear him easily.
"Ah, how could I be so stupid. The Lady did say she won't be affected by my words, so, I guess that any snide remark will be returned with indifference," Ja Sun continued, "Aside from waving a few blades of grass, I guess, the only thing you're good at is following people stealthily."
Ah Yin silently stared at Ja Sun as he locked gazes with her. Realizing the issue, Ja Sun chuckled, "You don't know, right?"
"What?" Ah Yin locked her brows.
"What to do next! You must have pursued me out of interest. How could I be accompanied by so many spirit beasts? But you know my Martial Soul. You know why. Now, you're probably thinking about what to do with me. Well, there are three options that are the most direct and easiest.
1) You kill me and continue with your life.
2) You let go of me and let me live.
3) You find a good buyer for me because I can be worth a lot.
Now, the decision actually doesn't lie in your hands. Do you know what will decide my fate?" Ja Sun inquired.
Ah Yin pursed her lips. She was starting to feel extremely uncomfortable by the lack of initiative. She had threatened the captive twice but he seemed indifferent to death! What else should she do? Torture? The thought of it filled Ah Yin with discomfort.
"What?" She finally sighed.
"Your morals and upbringing."
Ah Yin narrowed her eyes.
"You... really are just trying to talk your way out of it," Ah Yin smiled. She felt like she hit the mark this time. "You want to control the flow of conversation and then control my thoughts indirectly. It's not simply as rattling someone when it comes to you. Your aim is to revert the situation with your indifference to demise."
"If you think so, sure. Let's drop it," Ja Sun smiled and agreed. Instantly, Ah Yin felt as if something eerie was crawling up her legs and she scowled, "Fine, tell me how my morals are not part of my decision!"
"Easy. Upbringing carves morals. And there is no individual who has ever grown by himself. The world... our life, our experience with other individuals. All of this acts as our upbringing. And this shapes our morals. It's quite simple really."
"Then you think your actions are based on your own morals and thinking?" Ah Yin crossed her arms.
"Oh... hahaha," Ja Sun chuckled, "I could never think that. I love to place the blame on some other entity. Sometimes it's the world, and other times, it's the lack of sleep."
"Now, lady, be quick about it. Death, Life, or enslavement. Decide."
"Before I decide... tell me why the Spirit Hall doesn't know that you have a variant Three-eyed Silver Lion as your twin spirit? Twin Spirits are extremely rare. Their rarity is as high as my innate domain. And yet, they only know about your evil body martial soul. And if you still haven't obtained your first spirit ring, why can you fight someone like Zhao Wuji."
"My wits and charm." This was the quickest response Ah Yin ever got.
"There's nothing charming about your wits," Ah Yin groaned.
"Story of every handsome man's life." Another quick response.
"Fine," Ah Yin shrugged. Her smile looked rather peaceful.
"I'll kill you," she waved her hand as the drill instantly pierced through Ja Sun's body.
"Heh!" Ja Sun coughed. Blood spurted out of his lips as he seemed pleasantly surprised than shocked, "That's..." his gaze rooted deeply in Ah Yin's eyes, "... painful..."
He groaned weakly before his palms tilted down weakly and his head leaned down.
---
"Hmm?" Ja Sun opened his eyes and saw Ah Yin looking at him with a smile. In fact, she looked quite smug. There weren't any vines wrapped around him as he slowly stood up.
"How did it feel? Dying for... 1 hour now," Ah Yin inquired, "Did it dampen your sense of humor. Are you ready to answer my questions like a normal living being?"
"How did death feel?" Ja Sun blinked. He seemed to seriously consider the question. He looked around and he was still inside Ah Yin's domain.
"I honestly cannot remember," Ja Sun smiled wryly, "Felt like a nap, actually. Say, Lady, you've already killed me once. It wouldn't hurt to introduce yourself, right?"
"My name? That's right. I killed you and brought you back to life. In a way, I can be considered your creator," she crossed her arms, "My name is Ah Yin."
Ja Sun slowly stood up. His breathing seemed slightly heavy.
'God... damn! The Concentric Spirit Technique is still working!' Ja Sun was amazed by this fact instead of the one that he seemingly revived.
'It was probably a state of unconsciousness... probably...' Ja Sun stumbled towards Ah Yin slightly as she sighed and stretched her arm to hold his shoulder and support him from a distance.
"Thanks a lot. You're pretty and kind," Ja Sun smiled.
"I just killed you," Ah Yin snorted and took her hand back.
"You did."
Instantly, Ah Yin felt a stabbing pain in her head. Her calm exterior crumbled and her face was twisted in torturous pain.
At that moment itself, Ja Sun patted both of her cheeks and a sphere of shock seemed to cover her head, making her head ring. She instantly collapsed on her knees and the domain around her vanished.
"Don't worry. I just performed a mental acupuncture. When you wake up, you'll feel better than ever."
Mental Acupuncture was divided into 9 stages. The user could use it to raise their own mental energy. Each stage corresponded with the titles of spirit rank. But, this could also be performed on other humans. Theoretically, the user of this technique could also perform the technique on someone else. The said user can perform the acupuncture based on his own level of technique.
Level one technique will only awaken the mental energy and reinforce it slightly. Level two of the technique, if performed on an ordinary human, will bring one's mental energy corresponding to rank 11-20 spirit master but there is also a risk of turning the person into a vegetable. Of course, Ja Sun himself only used the technique 'one acupuncture pin' at a time.
Meanwhile, Ah Yin should have greater mental energy but she was experiencing the prickling sensation for the first time ever, giving Ja Sun a wide opportunity to shock her into unconsciousness.
'Time to take you all away,' Ja Sun sighed. He activated his spirit enhancement once again and started moving the unconscious bodies.
Once he moved them next to the antelopes, he placed the bodies on the antelopes back and brought himself and the group out of the forest.
'Now, I still haven't defeated the remaining two unconscious members of the group. But it should be easy,' Settling the members outside the forest, Ja Sun let the antelopes return and casually slapped the grey-haired youth's and the thick-browed girl's faces.
[Objective: Defeat the group of spirit masters nearby.
Mission Rank: S
Rewards: Vajra Gauntlets*1, Fiery Golden Pupils*1, Plate of Spicy Tofu*1, Blue Silver Emporer's Core.
Time Limit: 7 hours.]
[Status: Complete.]
At this moment, the rewards started to form in front of Ja Sun.
It was also at this point that a pair of Owls flew towards him. In fact, if he didn't run along with Feng Long, he wouldn't have found the pair flying towards himself and enjoying his existence!
In the entire stay within the Demon Pond Forest, this is what Ja Sun considered himself lucky for. The Pair was not even a hundred-year-old spirit beast but that was something Ja Sun had the power to interfere with.
"I actually died for this mission... so rewards better be good."
---
*Drip*
*Drip*
*Drip*
Oscar felt something wet and warm dripping over his face, triggering his consciousness. Looking around, he found that not only him, but everyone else was lying around him.
Instantly, Oscar moved towards Jun'er while ignoring his splitting headache. He gazed at Ah Yin cautiously and seeing her unconscious, he quickly turned back to see the source of dripping liquid being a perched owl atop a branch.
'Wait... liquid?'
Oscar revealed a disgusted expression. He didn't have the courage to look at what actually dripped on him and hurriedly wiped his forehead with his cloak.
"Boss! Wake up!"
"Huh? I'll kill you bastard!"
"Boss, it's me!"
---
"Jun'er, wake up!"
"Mm... you smell so good. Come, don't leave this sister cold~!"
"Jun'er, everyone is seeing you!"
---
"Feng Long... nah, you can stay asleep."
---
"I cannot believe you let Jun'er slap me!" Feng Long grumbled and punched Oscar's shoulder who only chuckled awkwardly.
"Boss, do we wake her up?" Jun'er inquired while glaring towards Ah Yin's direction.
"Sigh... wake her up. She must know more about the situation. I still can't believe I lost," Zhao Wuji mumbled to himself, his expression a little ugly.
Once Ah Yin was woken up by Jun'er, she slowly rubbed her head and looked around with a cautious expression. Seeing that her spirit energy wasn't sealed and she was still in the wilderness, Ah Yin calmed down greatly.
"What happened?" She looked towards Zhao Wuji and his group.
"You promised to stay where you were. I paid you for that," Zhao Wuji crossed his arms.
"My domain acts as an investigation skill through plants. I only moved once I observed you getting ambushed. Since the spirit master was busy dealing with you, he wouldn't have been able to hurt your friend. I acted to capture him before he could get another chance to escape our grasp. Here, your... where's the coin pouch?" Ah Yin looked down and found her pouch missing.
She then looked towards Zhao Wuji and his group suspiciously but when they frowned and patted their own waist, their expressions turned ugly, too.
"That guy..." Zhao Wuji gritted with hatred blazing in his eyes.
"What happened? Did you see him? How did you get defeated? Was he a spirit emperor?" Zhao Wuji growled at Ah Yin.
Ah Yin's lips parted to reply but before she could speak, the owl perched atop the tree hooted and its raised voice revealed human speech. But the tone of the speech felt a little familiar.
"Seems like all of you have woken up. Honestly, I enjoyed meeting with all of you. Bear guy, Piss Man, Hell Bitch, Tasty Tofu, and Ah Yin, I would happily meet all of you again. Of course, I took your coin pouches. I also found your carriage. It's a beautiful model, thank you for that. Goodbye."
With that, the Human-tongue Owl fluttered its wings and flew.
Ah Yin scoffed and instantly, a blade of grass stretched out and restricted the own before bringing it to her. The previously struggling owl seemed to have calmed down after getting into Ah Yin's embrace.
"What are you doing?" Jun'er pursed her lips, "We aren't that hungry and he stole everything!"
"Yes. He stole everything. So why would he let go of a rare pair of parent-child owls? This owl was clearly flying away from the forest, meaning that the other owl is now outside the forest and quite possibly with... him."
"You saw him," Zhao Wuji's gaze turned sharp.
"Yes. He is a wanted spirit master. If the information from spirit hall is correct then his name is Ja Sun, 19-years-old. Rank— Spirit Scholar... it wasn't an artifact that attracted the spirit beasts," Ah Yin commented softly.
"Him?" Wuji's countenance changed.
"You know about him, Boss?" Oscar and Jun'er looked curious.
"That guy is a legend!" Feng Long gasped.
"Spirit Hall awakens every spirit to mark potential evil cultivators. But, at the age of 6, no one is attacked because a spirit master, in the beginning, is innocent. The current pope actually conducted a spirit awakening in a village. There, he found a martial soul that couldn't be allowed to exist regardless of spirit master's innocence!" Feng Long gushed with an excited expression.
"At that time, the pope was a Spirit Douluo! He attacked the boy but the boy survived. Not only that, the Pope was injured grievously, setting his cultivation back! That boy is Ja Sun! There have been rumors about his existence but very few can confirm it. It is also said that for some reason, he cannot obtain spirit rings, making him the strongest cripple!"
"So... what is the name of the village?" Oscar inquired.
"Doesn't matter," Feng Long shook his head, "It was destroyed."
He had a flushed expression.
"Moving on," Wuji snorted, "Why would he leave the owl just to state the obvious? We would have found out that our carriage was missing. Leaving an owl seems like a big clue. It could be a trap."
To be defeated by a Spirit scholar, despite all the rumors about him, made Zhao Wuji despise himself and Ja Sun further.
"As you said, it's obvious. He enjoyed meeting us," Ah Yin shrugged and turned around.
"Where are you going?" Jun'er hurriedly called out.
"I don't know."
"Liar! You're obviously going to use the owl to find him!"
"Yeah! Do you know the bounty on Ja Sun's head? A 10000-year-old spirit bone!" Feng Long licked his lips.
"I'm not going to find him for bounty," Ah Yin looked back, "Anyway, you guys can't stop me. You're going to find him for the bounty which means you all are obstructing my goal."
As she spoke till hair, the grass patch around the group rustled.
Their expressions changed and Zhao Wuji hurriedly claimed, "We're not going talk about our encounter here. Just leave."
Ah Yin gazed at Zhao Wuji before inquiring, "Do you know, there are three easiest options to choose from?"
"What?" Zhao Wuji frowned.
"Nevermind," Ah Yin turned around and left.
After moving straight for almost half-an-hour and reaching the road with a rather permanent wheel marks, the owl in her hand suddenly opened his mouth.
"Remember to state this message when the crazy lady is alone. Yeah, when there is no one next to her.
Hello. How's your head? Try and feel it. You're probably better than before. Anyway, if you happen to be separated from your group, then the owl will follow you in case you have already captured it. Mm... now I'm hoping you do capture it or else it will be a waste. Only you have seen my second spirit. It's a lot to ask, but keep it a secret. The next time we meet, and my martial soul is still a secret, then instead of chatting in your domain, bound, we will chat in... say, an arena while watching a fight.
Or a night tavern... Now, I'm really hoping you choose to keep it a secret and enjoy night taverns."
The owl fell silent once again and only hooted.
"What a guy..." Ah Yin didn't know how to process this encounter.
"What a guy..."
"What a guy..."
"What a guy..."
Ah Yin glared at the owl in her arms and hissed, "Shut up!"
"No, u!"
"No, u!"
"No, u!"
---
[Objective: Steal from the unconscious group of spirit masters.
Mission Rank: E
Rewards: Red Ornate Robe
Time Limit: 1 hour.]
[Status: Complete.]
Wearing a thin ornate robe that was dark red in color with golden edges and a deep collar, Ja Sun leaned back on the driver's seat of the carriage and began to go through his other rewards.
Right now, over the thick cloth belt that came with the robes were strapped multiple pouches of coin.
Within one of the pouches were a crimson necklace and a thumb-sized light blue core. It didn't reveal any extra glow but it looked extremely beautiful. There was also a strange energy inside it that passively nourished his body. But it wasn't compatible with his Revitalized Blood Qi Art that used blood-related sources and pure spirit energy to advance with. This was indeed Blue Silver Emperor's Core.
Next, Ja Sun looked at the silent owl perched next to him.
"Say, Mama Owl, what's going on?" Ja Sun inquired curiously. Unlike the child owl, the parent owl was far more intelligent. Instead of physical strength, these rare spirit beasts focused on mental prowess and that is why they could have a telepathic connection with their offspring. Of course, compared to the child in Ah Yin's embrace, this one was larger. Almost as big as a dog. It also has an advantage.
"Son... with... crazy lady... alone... coming... here... slow..." the owl spoke up!
Ja Sun nodded and then wore the pair of beautiful white-gold gauntlets with an intricate pattern on them. The interior of the gauntlet was stuffed and felt comfortable.
'I can even channel my spirit energy through it!' Ja Sun licked his lips. He didn't know what the gauntlets were made of but it suited him. It covered his hands and worked well with Gentle Palms!
Then, Ja Sun picked up the plate of spicy tofu with a fork next to it. He ate with one hand, and with another, he began reading the Fiery Golden Pupils Technique.
A perfect end to a perfect night.
"Ahhh! I need water!"
Maybe, not so perfect.