"Ah Yin, have you ever heard of Conditional Spouses?" Ja Sun mumbled idly. He wore his mask while Ah Yin enjoyed to breath without any restriction in front of her.
"Conditional Spouse?" Ah Yin seemed curious. Both of them sat under a tree to rest. During the noon, even if they could continue to travel, they needed appropriate rest to compensate for any sudden attack. The two owls were perched over a branch at the moment, still sleeping.
"Yes. It's a form of commitment to relieve oneself by two individuals who know each other rather well. The two of them don't need to hold romantic feelings for each other but in case they fail to find spouses for themselves, they promise to marry each other after a certain period of time passes and they are too old to find others."
Ah Yin looked at Ja Sun as he continued to lean against the thick trunk of the tree with his hands over the back of his head.
"What are you... trying to say?"
"Hmm, if you reach 40 years old and still haven't found a good-looking lad, how about marrying me?"
Ah Yin frowned and questioned, "Why do you think I won't be married till then? I understand how men look at me. They would be lucky to have me."
"Wow. Never took you for a narcissist. Maybe that will be the reason for your failed marriage."
Ah Yin's lips twitched before she shook her head.
"A few minutes back, you kept talking about war and fight. Now you're talking about marriages. Why?"
"Polite conversation."
"You don't need to do it."
"You still didn't reply. In any case, if you're still unmarried, or a widow, at the age of 40, how about marrying me?" Ja Sun grinned.
"Why would you still be single by then?" Ah Yin retorted.
"Me?" Ja Sun removed his mask and gazed at Ah Yin with an absolutely appalled expression. "You think I'll be still unmarried? Ah, a misunderstanding. By the time I'm forty, I would have bedded the top beauties. Maybe reduce Spirit Hall to dust or subordinate them under my command. And then, I would hear about you. Single and miserable so out of kindness and past relationship, I would extend a hand of mercy. To take you in, of course. You would finally get the chance to live in a palace."
"Oh?" Ah Yin also smiled but blue silver grass behind Ja Sun turned into a durable material that instantly slapped him on his knees, making Ja Sun yelp in pain.
"If anything, I will have my Blue Silver Palace by then," she scoffed before growing curious once again, "But I have only heard of multiple spouses occurring in royal families or great clans. But most of them end terribly. How would you manage that?"
"I don't know," Ja Sun smirked and waggled his brows suggestively, "Want to help me find out?"
"Not particularly," Ah Yin looked away and leaned against the trunk herself with a peaceful expression.
"Do you have any family?" Ja Sun inquired.
"We have known each other for a year now. What do you think?" She replied with a question.
"Well... I know your cup size if it helps," Ja Sun mumbled.
"What's a cup size?" She glanced at him.
"Bust size."
"Good for you. Maybe that's the closest you will ever come to know a woman," Ah Yin closed her eyes.
"Ssss," Ja Sun sucked in a breath of cold air. This one hurt more than the slap of the blue silver grass.
---
"Tips?" Ja Sun looked at the small manual that Ah Yin grasped in her hands. The booklet was slightly muddied and old. The edges of the paper cover crumbled and worn but Ah Yin looked more serious and stern than usual. The duo had safely reached the city but both of them knew that the closer they get to the borders of the Balak and Silvers Kingdom, the higher will be the traffic of Spirit Masters.
"Yes. I never entered one of those academies for spirit master and depended on myself entirely for cultivation and battle experience. These are a few tips I could incorporate into my cultivation. Look through them."
The two of them were sitting in a rather busy restaurant with almost all the tables filled. There were even a few spirit masters but all of them would only talk about the slowly growing skirmishes. The border between Balak and Silver's Kingdom had already been closed off, leaving the forests as the only means of transport in between the kingdom but these forests also happen to be under the control of Spirit Hall. This effectively divided the spirit masters to choose the kingdom geographically to their side.
Ja Sun and Ah Yin were traveling north from the Star Dou Great Forest towards the Balak City. In fact, Ja Sun wanted to enter Silver's City. With all the chaos, there was a high possibility to learn more about the Hint of Evil but it didn't seem probable now.
"Is this your way of repaying me for the cultivation over the year?" Ja Sun took the booklet and stored it inside the wristband. However, Ah Yin shook her head and pointed out.
"I just told you, I never had any assistance. So, even if my physical talent of cultivation is enhanced by you, my fighting skills and cultivation pointers were understood by me over a long period. With the year of experience in knowing you, I think that the greater benefit will lie in myself if I show you this booklet."
Ah Yin picked a piece of chopped fried beans and ate calmly before drinking a spoonful of lemon soup.
"How?" Ja Sun inquired. He had ordered an assortment of dishes ranging from a plate of fried vegetables to ribs, and a bowl of heavy broth.
"My domain has an inherent weakness. You found it easily. This means that your combat experience is probably higher than mine. Now that we are traveling towards Balak City, we will encounter spirit masters with intentions matching ours— looting the rich. That way, you can timely point out my weaknesses and even look through my guide to understand my thinking.
In the end, you only stand to learn a little bit more about me while I get to increase my combat potential."
'Wow... just wow. If I knew she would be handing me her diary, I would have asked her something... much dangerous a few months ago,' Ja Sun smiled.
"Is there something wrong?" Ah Yin inquired.
"Do you remember the names I have called you with?" Ja Sun inquired.
"I seem to recall crazy lady and petty bitch," Ah Yin's words made Ja Sun cough softly. He couldn't deny what he said.
"Well, you can add cutie to the list," Ja Sun shrugged.
'A cute but still petty bitch,' Ja Sun scoffed internally.
"Oh, my fortunes have finally opened," Ah Yin remarked in an impassive tone while her expression as still as a calm surface of a lake.
"Well, I will look into it," He nodded.
"Thank you."
The two of them paid their bills and retreated into their rooms where Caihong and Olivia stayed respectively. With the spirit masters around, the two owls didn't dare stretch their wings out of the allocated rooms.
Once Ja Sun extended his influence of cultivation, he took out Ah Yin's diary and started skimming through it.
'Ah... what a disgusting handwriting... let's see, it gets better. So that means it was her handwriting when she was young... cute, I guess. Hmm, cultivation next to a blue silver grass increases... that could mean a lot of things but I have been here long enough to think that it's a form of resonance. Like the Bright Goddess and I had during our breakthrough.
So... there is a chance when two beings with natural affinity cultivate next to each other, their speed increases. But these are specific conditions. Ah Yin reached it so easily because her Martial Soul is a variant of Blue Silver Grass and to the level that makes her a tyrant among the Blue Silver Grass category. So, maybe this speed in cultivation is also related to the mutation itself. No wonder she reached the rank of Spirit Ancestor so early.'
Ja Sun then flipped through the pages and noted a few interesting points. Right now, he wasn't being a critic. Instead, he carefully tried to understand the thought process and reasoning from Ah Yin's side before thinking about the problems and forming solutions that benefit him more. If a person doesn't cultivate for a long time, such points may not be known. So this was definitely good for him and he also understood why Ah Yin would think that he might be able to help her.
'So... that strange technique actually comes into play later...' Ja Sun looked thoughtful. He also understood many points that Ah Yin needed to think before acting since she had developed as a Control-type Spirit Master.
'But, why the hell would she develop as a control-type spirit master if she has been alone?' After all, her martial soul was amazing. To concisely develop in the path of the controller while having no allies to control didn't seem reasonable. Even if her domain exponentially increased this form and even acted as an auxiliary support type skill. Ja Sun also recalled the strange circumstances when using Fiery Golden Pupils on her.
He felt a crucial detail missing.
'Maybe something happened in the past? The most reasonable explanation is that she had teammates in the past. But... Ah Yin and I took almost three months to have better cooperation in practicing after sparring each day.'
Ja Sun grumbled at his lack of knowledge and continued to read the journal through the night.
The next day, instead of questioning about the journal, Ah Yin silently left along with Ja Sun but as they had long expected, their journey was never going to be smooth.
---
"The area ahead is a trap," Ah Yin's steps slowed down. They were still 1400 kilometers away from Balak City and would probably take two or three days to reach their destination. Right now, in the thicket ahead, Ah Yin felt a strange presence but Ja Sun's words surprised her somewhat.
"Yeah, a group of five bandits. Two over that tree, waiting while hiding in the branches. The three of them are spread there, there, and there," Ja Sun gestured with his chin slightly. Seeing the inquisitive look on Ah Yin's face, Ja Sun snickered softly. After all, he could see a woman's panties from quite a distance away with his new set of eyes, can't he observe the soft rustle of trees and the slightest bit of shadow sneaking out of their hidden spot?
"I found two people observing these two guys," Ja Sun rubbed Olivia's head. Even now, he didn't have the heart to abandon them. These two owls were not only previous now. They had stuck close to Ja Sun for a year now.
"I see," Ah Yin sighed.
"You go on ahead," Ja Sun stated softly while Ah Yin cautiously stepped forward while Ja Sun added a mission in soft mumbles. His mumbles reached Ah Yin but she couldn't understand why Ja Sun had to explicitly state what he was going to do.
[Objectives: Rob the five bandits.
Optional Objectives:
1) Remain Unscathed
2) Keep the Human-tongue Owls in your possession from harm without letting them away for more than 3 meters.
Mission Rank: E-C-C
Rewards: Brilliant Hoe—Collection of Farming Techniques—Collection of Harvesting Techniques.
Time: 1 hour.]
"Do you really think you can be without harm?" Ah Yin inquired with a slightly mocking tone as Ja Sun nodded, "Not only us. Bind Olivia and Caihong and me with your spirit. Don't let the two of them be more than 2 meters away from me."
Ja Sun stated and looked towards the direction of Bandits. There was a little distance between them and now he had to decide whether to kill them or only rob them. But if Ja Sun really wanted to kill them, he would have added it in the additional objectives. So, this thought was merely a formality for Ja Sun.
"Let's test their strength," Ja Sun whispered and he nodded at Ah Yin. She flipped her hand, revealing her Martial Soul that instantly tied the two owls to Ja Sun and he stepped forward using the extremity of his Storm Steps.
Remaining unscathed didn't mean to hide but to deal with the opponents before they can deal with oneself.
Suddenly tugged with a sharp force, both of the owls hooted simultaneously and began screeching as they flew next to Ja Sun. Before they could fly, however, they were pulled back by the rebound force and they glanced at the vines over their bodies with a distressed expression.
Ja Sun, meanwhile, reached the nearest bandit.
"Huh?" Shocked, the man hurriedly summoned his Martial Soul— a red stick— but nothing could have prepared him for a tremendous slap to his cheek as his body shuddered without flying out as if the entire force didn't propel him but ravaged his body instead.
"Attack!" Two howls rang instantaneously from the higher tree branch as the figure opposite to the unconscious comrade of his found himself unable to move. A thick blue silver vine coiled around him and completely overpowered his werewolf physique.
Three shadows shot out from their hidden locations as the slightly thinner man hissed, "Boss, do it! I'll hold them—"
*Pah*
He was flung away and Ja Sun frowned.
This didn't seem like a C-ranked mission when the two cloaked figures held each other's hands and Ah Yin instantly pulled Ja Sun back with a vine locking with the thick vine around Ja Sun as a belt which kept the two owls on leash.
"They are definitely spirit masters... but too weak," Ja Sun whispered and then gazed at the two figures. Only a few seconds had passed and the other side's response was quick. Ah Yin was quicker. The moment she felt the surge of spirit energy pass through the ground, she pulled Ja Sun back. By now, the two of them still hadn't revealed their spirit rings but the opponent in front of them had two spirit rings— White and Yellow.
'A ten-year and a hundred-year spirit ring... but...'
*Pop*
*Pop*
"Danger! Root! Beets! Radish!" Olivia hooted.
"Hotpot *hoot*!" Caihong perched atop Ja Sun's head and hooted.
But Ah Yin and Ja Sun didn't have the mind to pay attention to them.
"Ah Yin, is that..."
"Spirit Fusion," Ah Yin gazed at the two men in front of her. Both of their original Martial Souls only flashed for a moment before fusing but she saw it— A red radish and a Black Beetroot.
Right now, hovering in front of Ja Sun and Ah Yin was a strange vegetable with a pitch-black body and thin red roots growing out from its base.
With a cackle, the two individuals removed their cloaks, revealing their middle-aged appearances.
"Kids! Blame yourself for having those Human-tongue Owls. Others may not know of it because of its rarity but I happened to know it."
The two men had slightly similar appearance and had their long black hair pulled into plaits while their disheveled beards hung low and haggard.
"Yes. With my explosive radish, and elder brother's undying beetroot, we can create our Spirit Fusion technique— Undying Explosive Roots!"
Leaves continued to grow around the two men as they glared at Ja Sun and Ah Yin coldly.
"At most, their spirit fusion would last for a few seconds but that might not be the case of the technique itself," Ah Yin narrowed her eyes. Flicking her fingers, a blade of blue silver grass coiled around a small pebble and she threw it towards one of the underground vegetables. From the leaves, and their spirits, it was easy to understand that the spirit fusion technique was related to the creation of underground vegetables.
The moment the pebble touched the leaf, a loud muffled bang shook the ground slightly as the vegetable beneath the ground blew apart while making mud rain in the surrounding. The older of the two brothers sneered and flipped his index and middle finger as gesturing the vegetables up.
"Gah.."
"Khuk!"
"Hgggr!"
The strange vegetables slowly pulled themselves out, their roots fashioned as limbs while their body parted in the middle as the area continued to create noises.
"Feel the wrath of us Root Brothers!" Both of them had pale expression and their fused spirit separated. But as Ah Yin had speculated, the strangely-shaped vegetables didn't get destroyed. Instead, the pitch-black conical vegetables with red roots as their limbs moved towards Ja Sun and Ah Yin. Some of them slow whole many of them exceedingly fast.
"The mud rain didn't cause them to explode," Ja Sun mumbled as the two of them retreated.
"Maybe the force wasn't enough."
Ah Yin whipped a long vine towards the vegetables but aside from getting smacked away, the vegetables didn't explode.
"Hahahaha! Once I use my part of the technique, the exploding beets will only burst apart after touching their targets!" The two brothers cackled weakly.
"Then let's kill the two of them," Ah Yin whispered.
"Probably won't work. But you can give it a try," Ja Sun shrugged. If the ability was really dependent on the two brothers' spirit energy, then it would have collapsed after they depleted their spirit energy.
Ah Yin's expression turned strange and she thought of something.
*Slice*
Instantly, her blue silver vine turned amazingly sharp and reverted to the form of the long stretch of a blade of blue silver grass.
A vegetable was cut in half and it disappeared.
Ja Sun touched his hair slightly while the two brothers were stunned silent.
Their vegetables... could be cut in half?
*Swish*
*Swish*
Thirty blades of sharp blue silver grass decimated the army of exploding beets as they fell. They didn't disappear and their red roots still struggled. But they couldn't move now.
"Now... you two," Ah Yin looked towards the brothers.
Their fusion ability was extremely amazing. It could move without any more spirit energy and attack relentlessly. Ah Yin also felt the resistance from the structure of the vegetables indicating that if it wasn't for the sheer difference in spirit rank, she would have struggled against the brothers since the vegetables may be able to follow their opponents everywhere.
"Ah! N-no! Stay away!" The younger brother gasped, slightly out of breath with a pale expression and sweat matting his slightly wrinkled forehead.
Ja Sun, meanwhile, didn't pay them any attention and stripped the unconscious man closest to him.
"What are you doing?" Ah Yin frowned.
"Why waste time with words? But if you could, please don't kill those two brothers. Their ability is interesting," Ja Sun smiled as he stored everything belonging to the thin bandit in his wristband.
"I'll share the loot later."
"Fine... I'm going ahead. I don't like this sight," Ah Yin scoffed and pulled the two owls towards her before moving forward.
Ja Sun then struck the other bandit unconscious and robbed the two of them. Finally, the two brothers were left as Ja Sun crouched in front of them.
"Say, what are your names?" He inquired.
"Root Yi..."
"Root Er..." The two brothers shuddered as they heard the calm tone.
Ja Sun still kept his mask and with his entire being covered in black articles of clothing aside from the rather imperial-looking gauntlets, the two brothers felt a chill in their hearts. The ability to judge a spirit master's rank is incredibly rare and this innate talent might backfire sometimes if the opponent knows how to hide his inner strength. The two brothers, of course, were not born with this particular talent and failed to judge the duo's ability. Of course, while they would usually be rewarded with death, at this moment, their reward was being slapped into unconsciousness by Ja Sun.
"Done," Ja Sun sighed in satisfaction as he glanced at the half-naked brothers once again. The spirit fusion is quite a rare ability. The two brothers clearly weren't part of any faction despite this talent which made Ja Sun feel that the two brothers might have been considered ordinary at first and when they realized their talents, they might have already absorbed their ten-year-old rings, completely ruining their potential in the process.
"What a shame..." Ja Sun grumbled and picked up the heavy hoe with an extraordinary brilliance alongside two books regarding harvesting and farming.
'Now that I think about it, I have already gained quite a bit within the year. Since the world is supernatural, the rewards are similarly amazing and increase strength at an explosive pace.' Ja Sun caught up to Ah Yin.
***
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