249 A Heart-to-Heart Talk - Part 2

Jin carefully stepped down the ladder through the hatch shaft, but all that awaited him was complete darkness. Ming followed behind and somehow managed to find the switch to the lights in this basement underneath the cabin. It was basically an empty room with only two chairs at the centre. There was a light bulb in the middle of the room which provided sufficient illumination.

"Is it that vital to learn how to protect my subconscious? Should it really be a higher priority compared to you teaching me how to defend myself?" Jin tried to affirm the rationale behind Ming's latest action.

"You don't use your brain that much, do you? Care to go over what happened earlier in your store when you came out of the random arena dungeon instance?" Ming scoffed at Jin as he sat down in one chair.

"Customers started to ask what my cultivation grade was. Erm…I figured it's either the System or Yun, who started the live stream of the dungeon instance run in the auditorium." Jin could not figure what Ming was getting at.

"Analyse it more. Why would Yun or the System want the audience to see your fight and Red Panda Cutie? Why did she not listen to your command?" Ming asked.

"I honestly have no idea… I could only list out the disadvantage or maybe to create an obstacle for the mission to progress?" Jin answered cluelessly.

"Stop thinking that Yun is out there to harm you. You already know the truth that she is your ally. She would not do something that random just to spite you. Think harder." Ming now folded his arms and looked sternly at Jin.

"To provide entertainment for the audience? To show that I am a competent dungeon supplier?" Jin tried to guess.

"You are nearly there. Why would the System want to show the audience that you are a competent dungeon supplier, but not allow you to reveal your cultivation?" Ming tried to probe further.

"Ehh… So that the audience would respect me for showing restraint towards myself?"

"No." Ming shook his head lightly.

"I don't know the answer…" Jin honestly wanted to give up.

"Because there are enemies in the midst of your audience." Ming looked him straight in the eyes.

"Enemies…?" Jin started to think of the advantages of showing the audience.

"Yes, the world is not as friendly as you think it is. There are enemies hidden in your backyard. People who are jealous of your success. They should probably be thinking something along the lines of: 'How can this pathetic no-name dungeon supplier suddenly create a store that had instant fame in no time? All through word of mouth?' " Ming crossed one of his legs, and he spoke to Jin.

"By showing a constant restraint of my strength against insurmountable odds, it indirectly portrays that I am a person who does not back down from fights." Jin started to analyse and comment on the System's decision.

"Yes, and that last part where you accidentally, but yet briefly showed your cultivation off to the audience was a perfect taunt to fuck them off. To send out the message to not mess with you." Ming did not bite his words when he gave his praise.

"That also means that the threats you will handle in the future are going to be the bigger fishes. They will not send out their small pawns to disturb you. Well...I guess they might. But I am preparing you for the big ones. The ones that can potentially mess you up." Ming explained.

"I shall give you a titbit — the Royal Zodiac Snake Clan. They are experts in regards to information extraction from the mind. Extraction comes along with torture. The way I extracted information from you is what I have learned from a good buddy of mine who came from the Royal Zodiac Snake Clan. If I dare brag, he is a direct descendant of the Snake Clan too." Ming smiled evily as he thought about the past.

"Too bad, I was unable to kill him since I do not have the System." Ming sighed before looking at Jin.

"I will eventually have to kill, don't I? To get revenge and revive the Panda Bloodline. Is that why the System wanted me to kill people in the Dungeon World? Even though I said I would not kill anyone for resources." Jin asked with a solemn look in his face.

"Kid. I am not here to dictate what you can or cannot do." Ming took out a cigar from his pocket and lit a fire.

"By all means, befriend the Royal Zodiacs. Regain fame for the Panda Clan once again by acting diplomatically. Make them respect the promised title 'Zeroth of the Royal Zodiacs' or kill every one of them. I do not care."

"All I care about is that you are my grandson. Eat, sleep, live. Love and fuck. That is all I ask of you. To enjoy yourself. Life is short no matter how long someone can live. I have learnt that no matter how others force their expectations on you, you are the captain of your heart. Live for yourself." Ming said as he blew the smoke away from Jin.

"But to live life to the fullest, you need to learn how to protect yourself, your employees and in the future, your own family. Therefore, I am teaching you the ways to defend yourself so you can enjoy yourself to the fullest extent." Ming was genuinely concerned for Jin.

"Gramps, sometimes I feel that you are not honest about yourself when you were alive." Jin broke out a small smile at Ming.

"Bwahahaha!! That is true. It looks like only when someone is dead, that you can only wish that you appreciated your own family more." Ming laughed loudly.

"Isn't that for the living to say and not the dead?" Jin sniggered at his remark.

"Bahh, you always apply cold water to the burned area. Did I use the internet meme correctly?" Ming rolled his eyes seeing Jin laugh crazily.

"That is beside the point. We shall start with the training soon." Ming clapped his fingers and suddenly Jin's hands and feet were chained up to the chair.

"Stay in this darkness for a month. Do not worry, time here is accelerated, a month in this room is just five minutes in the real world. Good luck! Try not to turn insane." Ming stood up and walked away slowly.

"Oh, one more thing. Should you try anything funny like breaking out of the chains? More restraints will appear to lock you up. And there is no giving up since I do not permit that." Ming started to climb up the ladder.

"What happened to allowing me to enjoy life to the fullest?" Jin said as a rebuttal.

"One cannot enjoy and appreciate life thoroughly without experiencing the suffering of life," Ming replied as he climbed out of the basement and closed the hatch. When he closed it, the lights were immediately cut off.

"Solitary confinement huh. Guess, it is a good time for me to reflect on my own actions and what I can do better." Jin thought to himself. "Not to mention, what to do once I get out of here." Jin shook his head at the issues he needed to address.

"Maybe I can do something in the dark like cultivating myself?" Jin tried, but because he was all chained up, he could not get into a proper stance to start cultivation. "Urgh, It is not possible." Jin tried to shake his hands and feet, but soon enough, he felt that more chains started to grab him and tied him even more tightly on the chair.

"Shit! Is it that sensitive?" Jin could only rely on his sense of touch and sound to hear the chains crawling up to him.

It was at that moment he felt a sense of déjà vu…