"Are you listening to what I'm saying?" A middle-aged man with a wide back grumbled. His silky black hair was swiped back and unlike the general norm, he wore a leather jacket with raised red rings around his shoulder. His bulky physique and biker's outfit were matched by the somewhat younger man out of the duo. Unlike the grumbling man, the younger one had short brown hair and a rugged face without any facial hair.
"Yeah. I did. Spirit Hall has a weak influence here because the kingdom has high military authority. We're not even in the capital yet, give it a rest," the man mumbled and cleaned his ears.
"Hush!" The bearded man instantly raised his index and gave a gesture to shut the man up when he noticed the uncomfortable stares from the surrounding.
"Even though we aren't in Balak City, it never hurts to be cautious. Remember, we are not in our clan! The outside world has rules."
The younger one out of the two frowned and scoffed, "I'm already a spirit sage and you will breakthrough into the ranks of Spirit Douluo. If we can't speak our hearts out even now, what's the point of cultivating all those years in the sect?"
"Uh..." The middle-aged man had a nerve popping on his forehead.
"Besides, I don't see a single spirit master around. This is just some nameless border town!"
"Aha! So you weren't listening after all!" The middle-aged man seemed even more childish than the younger one. "This town is named Culling Steele Town. Remember that. I'm already tired of being your guide for the continent. Anyway, if I prove you wrong, would you start learning more about the history?"
"Brother, we stayed in Gengxin City for over a month to compare our techniques. They were weak and I was right! I'll be right this time, too!" The younger one sneered.
"First, their technique wasn't weak you incomprehensible brute! It was different. My god, do you think that everyone's name is Tang Hao and everyone has a single-inch shaft?"
The young one's expression instantly changed. A violent aura erupted from his being, making his clothes and hair flutter without wind.
"Brother... what did you say?"
"I'm just saying that if you would have stroked your little hammer back in your early days half as much as you stroke your ego now... maybe you would start comprehending the reason why father sent us to gain experience."
The man named Tang Hao gritted his teeth and swallowed his words. Meanwhile, the bearded middle-aged man continued, "Now come, there's already a spirit master close to us."
The duo walked across the street. Their appearance continued to attract unwanted attention but their fierce image also attracted some 'wanted' attention. Tang Hao's gaze wandered as he observed the nearby stalls.
With many spirit habitats now being protected by Spirit Hall and only accessible after gaining a pass from the branches of Spirit Hall to find a spirit ring for a cultivator facing a bottleneck, many spirit masters who earned their living by hunting spirit beast materials turned to Star Dou Great Forest. However, that habitat was dangerous and required more spirit masters, something the continent seemed to have an oversupply of at the moment.
This also increased the traffic of spirit masters into border towns of the Balak Kingdom and other great kingdoms with their territories touching the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. However, on their way, the duo made three stops. Each of these towns has lower spirit masters corresponding to longer distances and by now, Tang Hao had failed to identify any spirit master.
His brother led him until they stopped in front of a stall fashioned in a carriage. The horse was still tied to the carriage as it lowered its head and ate in the bucket presented in front of it. Meanwhile, facing the street was a variety of scrolls.
The parchment seemed new and the scent of fresh ink couldn't be hidden from the carriage. Sitting on a seat with his figure covered by a large cloak and a hood was a youth, something Tang Hao could investigate quite easily. Next to it perched a giant bird. A colorful owl with a bright yellow beak.
"Is this it? This guy is no spirit master!" Tang Hao frowned.
"Now, now," The Middle-aged man gestured for his brother to shut up.
"Boss, what are you selling?" The middle-aged man questioned with a smile.
The seller in question was, of course, Ja Sun. He looked at the screen that no one else was capable of seeing. This was one of the few special missions he knew of and the results could be unexpected.
[Objective: Scam customers.
Mission Rank: Not Finalized.
Rewards: Based on the quality of the completed objective.
Time Limit: 24 hours.]
"Techniques," Ja Sun stated faintly. The owl next to him would rub its head against his arm every few minutes and let out a weak hoot as it rested during the day.
"What kind of techniques? Spirit Techniques?" Tang Hao sneered with his arms crossed.
Ja Sun tilted his head slightly, his eyes and the top portion of his face still not visible but his lips could be seen and his thin lips parted once again.
"Techniques used by ordinary men and women."
"Can we see them?" The middle-aged man inquired.
"Brother Xiao, this is already a waste of our time! Let's go!"
"Tch, Boss, give me a second," Tang Xiao forced and smile, grabbed Tang Hao by the back of his neck, and pulled him away.
"Didn't you see that owl? I specifically took you there to see that owl!" Tang Xiao hissed.
"Owl? That parrot is a shame to all owls! Owls are majestic!" Tang Hao looked away.
"That's the rarest species of owl— Human-tongue Owl— that can achieve human speech before even reaching 100-year-old of cultivation, much less the legendary 100000! Bastard! We snuck into grandpa's scripture room together and got our asses bled! Didn't you learn anything there? That bird was in Grandpa's journal!"
Tang Xiao's words made Tang Hao's expression freeze.
"... what did you say?" Tang Hao looked at his brother weakly.
"I said, that bird is rare. A bird so rare, quick-witted, and masterful in hiding that grandpa wanted to bring back one and couldn't. Now, that man can be a normal human, or a spirit master. But are you finally willing to open your eyes?!" Tang Xiao questioned with a ferocious expression.
"Something... that even grandpa couldn't get..."
These words impacted Tang Hao deeply.
When the siblings returned, Tang Hao's expression was more conserved and he would glance towards the owl occasionally.
"Boss, can we take a look at the techniques?" Tang Xiao inquired and Ja Sun nodded casually.
He understood two methods of scamming.
1) Selling cheap products and lying about them.
2) Selling a product for a value more than its worth.
If a scammer tries to combine both options then the chances of being found out are much quicker. Of course, it also depends on the method of fusion.
In front of Ja Sun were incomplete scrolls of actual techniques and pure bullshit with exaggerated words. Of course, the interested party may obtain the full technique. But that wasn't the point.
The bullshit would make the real techniques stand out and to the trained experts, that's it. But to the untrained eyes, Bullshit would make the real stuff shine, and then, when they have read enough of reality, they will believe that the bullshit itself is real!
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao picked up a scroll each. Both of their brows were locked as they continued to read it.
"Boss... this Flow River Martial Arts... is it true that even ordinary men without spirit energy can cultivate it?" Tang Xiao inquired.
"Cultivate? That technique simply trains body and movement. Of course, men and women without spirit energy can learn from it."
"Then... this heaven-splitting sword. Can it really carve mountains in its highest level?"
Tang Hao inquired with a bright expression.
"How would I know? Do you see a sword on me?" Ja Sun stated coolly.
"Pfft," Tang Xiao's chuckled shook Tang Hao out of his stupor. Grumbling, Tang Hao rolled the scroll up once again and picked another one.
Just like that, the brothers began to browse through the collection. Tang Hao managed to only pick the exaggerated bullshit and Tang Xiao inquired about the applicability of various forms of martial arts.
"Boss, how much for the entire stock? While your father's techniques... are definitely... ehm, striking, I'm also interested in your techniques."
Tang Xiao smiled.
"All?" Ja Sun inquired once again.
"Yes," Tang Xiao nodded.
Ja Sun took a moment and gazed at the man. His head then tilted towards Tang Hao and he opened up, "I won't lie. I have a particular talent in creating techniques and I'm proud of it but this man over here managed to find only the old classics of my father. You seem to have a better set of eyes."
"Fine. I'm willing to sell. You have kept my face by purchasing my father's classics. There are seven techniques that refine the body of men and women and two techniques that allow quick movement. These nine techniques are worth nothing to me. I've come with these nine, I'll make more techniques eventually, too.
But I can't help and want to sell my father's classics at the highest price as a tribute...
I will sell the stock for 9000 gold coins."
Tang Xiao and Tang Hao looked at each other.
Tang Hao shook his head slightly.
Tang Xiao nodded with a reassuring look. Smilingly, he gazed at Ja Sun.
"Deal!" He exclaimed.
Tang Hao couldn't help but roll his eyes at this. He knew clearly why Tang Xiao made the purchase.
If Tang Hao could be considered as a man who would stroke his own ego, then Tang Xiao is a man who loved it when others stroke his ego!
"Boss, how much for the bird?" Tang Hao inquired.
"1000-year-old spirit bone," Ja Sun replied.
The sibling's expression stiffened.
"Huh?" Tang Hao uttered.
"I love this owl. My father caught it for me as a present for my sixth birthday. Of course, I wanted to see a spirit bone then. So, I will exchange my actual present with the item I wanted," Ja Sun explained casually while Tang Hao and Xiao looked at each other with shock in their eyes.
Lies needed facts to support them.
Since Ja Sun had the Human-tongue Owl and was keenly aware of his rarity, he made up a heartbreaking story of a father gifting a son one of the rarest creatures while the son still held the grudge over not getting something he wanted!
"Boss... where's your father?" Tang Xiao inquired.
"Why? Is he your father, too? If you don't have any more business, then move!" Ja Sun snorted and waved his hands. He had already received the large pouch of coins.
Finally, Tang Hao smirked and looked at Xiao's slightly ugly expression.
"Boss, if I get a thousand-year-old spirit bone, you will sell the owl to me?" Tang Hao inquired.
"Only if the spirit bone is suitable to me," Ja Sun uttered, still unsure if he can even absorb a spirit bone without a spirit ring. But he wasn't going to sell his owl. After all, this owl was a gps for his moving service of spirit rings!
"Then, what are your attributes?" Tang Hao continued.
"Spatial."
Disappointment flickered in Tang Brothers' eyes.
"Well, if we weren't on our way to the Balak Kingdom, then we could have tried. Let's go," Xiao patted Hao's back.
Gazing at the owl reluctantly, the man left.
'Now... how long should I wait before going into the Star Dou Great Forest?'
Ja Sun was sure that he could find a suitable spirit soul within the Star Dou Great Forest but at this point, he already knew that he needed a support of a stronger spirit master to protect him while absorbing the spirit soul. If he happens to be interrupted during the process of absorption of spirit souls, he might just lose his life casually.
When the two brothers left, Ja Sun packed up and moved his carriage out of Culling Steele Town. This time, he moved slowly. There were almost 300 kilometers of distance left and Ja Sun was still slowly practicing between the Fiery Golden Pupils and Mental Acupuncture.
As a technique based on resourcefulness, the Mental Acupuncture Technique was one of Ja Sun's best. Had he reached rank 4 in the technique, he could have conducted mental acupuncture for all the four stages on Zhao Wuji and his group and effectively ruin them. Mental Attacks are also hard to block, much less the ones that actually resemble thin pins stabbing into one's mind.
On the other hand, the Fiery Golden Pupils had three stages.
1)Define Realm.
2)Golden Realm.
3)Fiery Realm.
From lowest to highest, the ability of the pupils is to see through illusions, resist mental attacks, and finally, counter mental attacks. Not only that, the pupils enhance one's mental attack by a level after accomplishing one stage and this effect is not limited by the person's own strength. A strong individual will be able to have an enhancement of three realms higher than his own while using mental techniques and so will a weak individual.
'This will be my first time practicing such a technique,' Ja Sun smiled. He had high expectations from an S-rank technique and also this was his first technique related to the cultivation of eyes.
Once they exited the town, this time, Ja Sun made sure to keep the owl within the carriage instead of next to him.
Why?
He didn't want any ordinary spirit master to covet it and then create a chain of unending troubles.
Shaking his head, Ja Sun leaned back and closed his eyes. He wanted to cultivate his techniques for longer but since he could only rely on sneak attacks to deal with spirit masters, he needed to be more conscious of his surroundings.
---
"Huff," Ah Yin entered the dusty-looking town and gazed at the owl in her embrace that continued to look in a particular direction. Without any rest, he moved in the direction. Her pace was calm and her cool and refreshing appearance attracted countless sources of attraction.
"Hey, miss!" A sudden shout pulled Ah Yin's attraction as she looked sideways. In the alley next to an inn a couple of meters away from her, Ah Yin saw a band of men leaning against the walls while gazing in her direction. Their eyes revealed their obvious intentions as they gazed at her from top to bottom.
"Yes?" Ah Yin nodded with a sigh.
"Whoo~ She replied!" One of the men chuckled.
"Oh... good for you," Ah Yin began walking past them one of them hurriedly pushed the other forward. He stumbled in front of Ah Yin and glared at his friends as they winked.
"Say, Miss... ehm, that's a lovely set of," the man gulped and looked down before hurriedly shaking his head and looking up, "eyes! Eyes. Yeah, I meant your eyes!"
Ah Yin and the group of jeering men looked at the man with a strange expression.
Could you be more obvious!
Still, smilingly, Ah Yin nodded, "Thank you. You have eyes, too. And I also mean eyes."
She left the group stunned before they howled in laughter while the man on the street had his shoulders slumped.
"Hey!"
As a pair of burly men walked out of the inn, they unconsciously glanced towards Ah Yin and instantly stopped. They were first enchanted by her appearance but when they saw a small colorful owl with a yellow beak in her embrace staying like a round furry ball and gazing around curiously, the two men gulped.
"How... where did you find it," they both looked towards her torso. Their actions attracted the attention of hooligans still laughing in the alley as one of them growled, "Hey, show some manners! Her eyes are up!" She smirked while continuing the joke, making the odd group cackle once again.
Even Ah Yin had her lips curved slightly.
Their words made the two burly men in leather jackets— Tang Xiao and Hao— freeze in shock before they looked at Ah Yin and bent their waists by 90 degrees.
"Lady, I did not have such intentions!"
Both of them shouted instantaneously.
"Alright," Ah Yin nodded and walked past them. She didn't reveal is but she was also looking forward to returning the owl and had a slight current excitement fill her mind.
"Miss, can you tell us where you find this owl?" Tang Xiao suddenly spoke up.
He even looked slightly frantic.
At first, he felt that the bird was rare but now, he had seen two birds in the same town which led him to doubt that there may be a way to get the bird in this limited time period.
"What will I get?" Ah Yin inquired.
"Excuse me?" Tang Hao frowned.
"This is a rare Human-tongue Owl. You want information about its location. What will I get if I tell you how I obtained it?"
"What do you want, Miss?" Tang Xiao inquired.
Ah Yin turned to look at them. She observed the brothers carefully while the hooligans looked at the situation with great interest. It isn't always the case where a woman is not afraid of them and even jokes with them so despite meeting Ah Yin for a few moments, they were more interested in her.
Finally, Ah Yin's gaze locked onto the two brothers' waist.
Following the direction of her gaze, the group was shocked and they looked at each other with glimmering eyes.
'Maybe... she is the one!'
They all thought simultaneously.
Ah Yin stepped forward, her body tilted towards Tang Hao and Tang Xiao instantly let out a bitter sigh.
"Don't worry brother, I'll properly service the lady in exchange for information. My bird for hers!" Tang Hao gulped and whispered towards Tang Xiao. His words instantly made Xiao more depressed.
'Oh... lord... is this his gift for being a hand-handler all this time... I shouldn't have frolicked around in Gengxin City...'
Ah Yin was far more beautiful than any girl Xiao had been with himself.
Once Ah Yin was close enough, she locked eyes with Tang Hao and pointed at his waist. His breathing sped up and he couldn't look away from Ah Yin's enchanting eyes.
However, when the group and Xiao unconsciously looked in the direction of her index finger, they looked at each other in shock.
"I want that... large," Ah Yin stated faintly while Hao gulped, "Pouch of coin."
"Pfft!"
"You killed him, Miss!"
"He's going to have nightmares!"
"She ruined him for other chicks!"
"That must hurt a lot! His pouch is bigger! Hahahaha!"
The group burst out in peals of laughter, holding their stomachs while Xiao joined in. He physically joined their group to laugh and fall on his knees.
"Huh?" Tang Hao still had a foolish smile on his face as if he didn't hear the last part of her sentence.
"I want everything in that pouch of coins in exchange for the information on how I came into possession of his owl," she said while stroking the head of the owl as it hooted softly.
"So..." Tang Hao's throat went dry and he looked towards the group of cackling beasts. His eyes turned fierce and instantly, a monstrous aura flooded out of her body. The group of hooligans instantly felt a physical pressure turning them unconscious and even the surrounding bypassers who were interested in the uproar hurriedly left the place.
"What is it going to be?" Ah Yin inquired again calmly.
Tang Hao didn't answer her but instead gripped and Tang Xiao's collar and shouted, "Stop laughing!"
"Or what? You'll smack me with your Large pouch of coin. Good thing that I used my money on that other kid with the bigger owl," Tang Xiao smirked while emphasizing the word 'large.'
Tang Hao's lips trembled.
"Hmph, I'm leaving!" He snorted and turned around, pulling Tang Xiao with him.
"H-hey! Think carefully, Hao! We can finally get an owl that even Grandpa couldn't get!" Tang Xiao's words only made Tang Hao falter for a moment.
But before he could refute his brother, the siblings heard Ah Yin call out.
"You said there was a kid with a bigger owl, right? What was he doing here?"
Tang Hao and Tang Xiao looked at each other.
"Say, you want information on that kid?" Tang Hao turned around, his expression pleasant and a smirk touching his lips.
Nodding, Ah Yin replied, "Yes. I want to know what he was doing."
"The what I want for that information is the Human-Tongue Owl in your arms!" Tang Hao pointed at the owl.