Chapter 212

Chapter 212: You Shouldn’t Use Your Strength to Bully Others?

The Northern city of Kuoluan is situated in a high-latitude location. It might be March, but the weather maintained below negative 20 degrees.

Little people walked the streets. The ones that appeared mostly had themselves wrapped up thickly, either with down-padded jackets or military cloaks.

If there were some wearing summer clothing, then a was ninety-percent possibility that they were Extraordinaires.

As they walked the streets, they would attract the envious looks of many, especially beautiful girls who had to wrap themselves up like a Chinese rice dumpling to go out.

At that moment, in a freezing morning, a man wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt on top and simple jeans at the bottom appeared on the cold deserted street. He looked very young and seemed to have a perpetual hint of a smile on his face. He was currently surveying this northern city.

“Yes, Brother Gu, I remember that the real business here is to get apprentices, isn’t it?” Chen Tianxiao’s lips moved briefly as though talking to someone. “Don’t worry, I am not Qi Mei, I don’t have her background. With just a Spirit King available as an apprentice, she went to seek a Spirit King from the Association of Spirit Kings. That is ignoring official business for something personal. I don’t have her boldness, and I will not suffer for anything that doesn’t have anything to do with benefiting Azure Mountain.”

When he finished the conversation, his eyes lit up and his body gave an undetectable wave-like movement. In a short moment, he scanned the entire city and this time, his smile was real. “Okay, I’ve found you.”

After he finished his sentence, he disappeared.

Not far away, in a roadside shop selling breakfast snacks, was a shopkeeper. She was in her forties, and although she was no longer young, she still maintained some of her grace and looks.

Through the glass window of the door, she alertly watched as the youth disappeared before pulling out her phone and dialing a number.

After a while, she forced a smile. “Yes, yes, it’s definitely a strong extraordinary being. The identification booklet you guys from the Special Affairs Department distributed, didn’t it say that those who come and go without a trace are at least B-level Extraordinaires and above?

“Yes, yes, okay. We can discuss the rewards nicely since it’s not urgent… how much is it again? Fifty or thirty thousand?

“Are you sure you will send it over later? Fine, fine.”

This eager lady did not even realize that the strong Extraordinaire she had mentioned had power comparable to that of the six Powerhouses of the Truth Department, and in China such people were rare. They were the powerful Pond-level Powerhouses, an A-level Extraordinaire.

She hung up, happily lowered her head to log into an app in her phone. She was calculating how much the money reward would be at the most, since there are many factors influencing the final amount: the danger level, the power level, and whether it was the first time they were seen.

However, she did not notice a smiling young man appearing in the next moment, right in front of her.

“Interesting. How amusing. I accidentally forgot to make myself invisible and was spotted by an ordinary human like you. Huh, you are only a few meters away and leaked my location, yet did not choose to hide. Well, you mortals must be still very brave… or should I say, still very ignorant.” Chen Tianxiao stood in front of the shopkeeper, shaking his head and smiling as he stared at her.

The shopkeeper looked at the person in front of her, stammering but not able to say a word. She had been running this shop for a long time, and instincts honed by interacting with customers told her that there was something really, really terrifying in that smile.

And then, she realized she was clutching at her neck, trying to pant but not being able to.

Chen Tianxiao smiled again. “After 3 minutes, if you ever get the chance to become a ghost, remember to be less nosy…”

Finishing his sentence, he moved slightly and disappeared once more.

The shopkeeper struggled for her life in the empty shop: her phone and laptop on the countertop was knocked over; the basin full of herbal eggs broken. The noises made for a very loud racket, but it was no use: no one came in to see what was wrong.

This place usually had many people coming in for breakfast snacks, yet it seemed to have disappeared from public view.

She lay on the ground, her gaze becoming more and more despaired and the feeling of suffocation getting worse. She was suffering and soon began to hallucinate until a very handsome man appeared before her…

She had not even forgotten her true love even when she was dying; the last person she was thinking was definitely not the one that seemed not to be able to die of old age. This guy did not really look like that XXX, but looked even more handsome…

The next moment, the woman, her thoughts disoriented before death, noticed she could finally breathe.

The sensation of breathing freely felt amazing!

The woman rolled on the floor, not wanting to get up for a while but choosing to gulp in the cold fresh air greedily. She had only one thought, ‘it must have been my teenage idol who had come to save me out of nowhere. I must rewatch The Legend of the Flying Swordman (TN: a famous Chinese martial arts movie first released in 1995, based on a Chinese novel and long regarded as a classic. There has been a few remakes over the years) ten times…’

Above the city of Kuoluan, Vigilante A searched around on his Flying Sword.

“Pity, that damned guy really hides quickly. I just wasted 3 seconds to save the woman, yet he had already disappeared from the System Map.” Sir System said, irritated.

Fang Ning, having watched the entire scene, felt relieved. At least it had not forgotten its true goal.

He consoled it. “It’s okay. There’re still many monsters. If you go into deviatory psychosis by farming those monsters and ignore those who require your help, then your Chivalrous Attribute will drop.”

“I am not like you humans. I am not easily tempted by greed, so how will I go into deviatory psychosis while farming them? This is different from the last time when I pretended to fight. That was because I thought it could drop a little and will be replenished when I kill the evil opponent afterwards. At this, I am learning your way of using the loopholes in the rules.

“This time, I have seen all of it: if I pursue that Pond-level monster first and let her die, then it will drop by half.” Sir System said disappointedly as he went around surveying on his Flying Sword, his air that of someone who is willing to dig three feet deep in the ground(TN: literal translation; describes the determination of someone to do something).

Fang Ning, hearing this, nodded. Sir System’s purpose was clear, false fighting was to earn more money, however the goal was not to earn money, but to become stronger in order to be able to serve justice better and not become “that hero who bullies the weak but fears the powerful’.

It was the same with him. The next time he borrowed it money, it would use all of it to buy materials to make itself stronger. If it could not return the money, could he really keep asking for it? It would do to just go on leave for two more days.

However, this cannot be heard by the Sir, or he would use it to get up to other mischief. It may learn from a certain country that accumulates new debts to fulfil old ones. He could not let it learn the old trick of using others’ wealth to create its own without its own investment.

…

In a dilapidated, slightly run-down street, many of the road bricks were already loose with disrepair. In an old, abandoned Russian-style mansion with a pointed roof, the Spirit King Bao Lidao was hiding from death.

He had a high nose and light skin, taking the form of a human, though it was at times obviously less solid, thus differing from mortal humans.

Beside him, two apparently much less solid silhouettes lingered. They had similar looks to the Spirit King and were probably his blood brothers.

“Brother Bao Lidao, why don’t we just flee to Russia?” one of his younger brothers asked.

“No, second Brother Harsen,” Bao Lidao shook his head. “I have sneaked in last year. It is no longer deserted and can be entered freely. Many large international associations are already marking territories there and sending in people to take charge. Ghosts like us who cross over are fodder for those powerful mages. They’re not as easy to negotiate with as the Chinese, and once we are captured we are dead.”

“Then let’s go back to our old home to hide. Coincidentally, the Master of Great Wisdom has been slain. Didn’t Big Brother say that he has sensed the prayers of our clan members for our safety and protection?” asked another brother.

Bao Lidao, hearing this, felt slightly convinced but then shook his head. “Not possible either, Arslane. If we cannot establish relations with the Chinese Truth Department, returning now will not be a wise idea, considering my power now. It’s the same there, vast lands and a sparse population. Only that the Master of Great Wisdom was present back then, and he was a powerful A-level Powerhouse which no large groups dared to clash with. Now that he was slain by the all-powerful Dragon God, there probably will be big Extraordinaire associations coming in and making their mark. Returning there without an official Chinese identity is no different than going to Russia.”

His youngest brother Harsen sighed. “Now those Chinese are not as easily manipulated, not like the previous government. According to books, as long as someone asked for enclosure, they would ensure our convenience. But, do those Truth Department people really disregard our value? It shouldn’t be possible logically since many Chinese want to keep spirits, and if anyone could do it, looking at our experiences of being spirits, becoming a god is as definite and final as nails on a board.”

Bao Lidao grit his teeth. “Give me more time. Let me break through to A-level so we can stand on our own upon returning. Oh how hateful I feel when I think of that insect appearing and interrupting my meditation to understand the path of the Gods. I would have had 3 months left to break through, yet its form keeps moving before me and I can no longer get that calm meditative feeling.”

The youngest brother Harsen tried to calm him. “That insect is so stupid. It’s terribly powerful, yet it allowed us to escape and managed only to capture some newbie spirits. It’s so funny. You don’t have to worry about it. We can go slowly.”

As they finished their words, they heard a slightly delighted voice come from outside the door.

“Just as I thought, Lord Head Insect, they don’t have many places to hide and this is the most possible one.” This was Elder Gui Er of the Association of Spirit Kings.

“Damn it, it’s that white-spirit-mask-wearing henchman. I want to tear off that mask and see what he’s like underneath.” The three spirits stood simultaneously and looked towards the door.

Bao Lidao was not free of course. He immediately cast a spell to take him and his brothers away.

However, he was disappointed to realize that the entire house has been surrounded by a very powerful formation ward. There were no loopholes, and it could not be shaken. He could not even try his spells.

Just as he was, a white-masked man pushed the door in and entered, a green insect the size of a palm hovering behind him.

When he saw the insect, an expression of fear came and went on the Spirit King Bao Lidao’s face.

The power and energy the other exuded the last time was the strongest he had seen. That time, they had managed to escape and he had seen it as a reprieve from the heavens since he did not commit much evil in his lifetime.

“That last time, the Lord Head Insect was too soft…” Gui Er said with satisfaction, but before he could finish, he felt a cold wind from behind. He immediately changed his tack. “No. The Lord Head Insect was too compassionate, letting you live so you have the chance to change your ways. Since you did not appreciate the chance, don’t blame us for paying you another visit. Letting powerful spirit-beings like you roam free will be a hidden danger to mortals.”

Harsen could not help but ask, “We’ve not caused any harm to humans, so why can’t we roam freely? You are strong, but you shouldn’t use that to bully us, should you?”

Cong Daqing froze when it heard this. It sounded familiar, like something the Green Dragon once said. Was it that their side was in the wrong, then?

Gui Er, seeing his backer’s puzzled expression, knew that the other was being stupid again.

He immediately answered, “Really? You have broken the rules of China. We don’t allow ghosts and spirits here. We’ve got permission from the Truth Department to capture you. All spirits in our Association have been registered and are legal residents. You are wanderers with no identity, and are illegal squatters. We have reason, and this thing about using strength to bully others… it’s laughable. Does law enforcement do one-on-one action while catching thieves?”

Cong Daqing nodded at this. ‘True, true, it did work like this. It had almost been tricked by this bastard… Elder Gui Er was wise. No wonder Elder Gui Da told him to come with me.’ She thought.

The three spirits opposite were suffering inside, and was immediately speechless. What had just been spoken was in fact the truth.

They also did want to manipulate their way to an official identity, yet the Truth Department refused to give an answer and ignored them. He did not know what the other was planning.

The Truth Department may not appear imposing, acting polite to great figures like the Venerable Dragon God, but to those lower-middle level Extraordinaires, it was a powerful, useful boon.

Gui Er, seeing this, told Cong Daqing, “Lord Head Insect, let’s not chit-chat with them anymore or we will give them a chance to escape. Catch them now, , and you will get that 7 million soon after the Truth Department has been notified.”

The eyes of Insect Daqing lit up and it nodded at once. It put out three legs and gestured in the air; three white nets took shape simultaneously. The nets moved away from each other and pounced on the three ghosts…