Recruiting a 'Child of the Plane'
Above her came the sound of a sword slicing through the air, and since Zhu Que wasn't deaf, she obviously stood up and looked up reactively but what she saw made her think she was dreaming.
The roof above her motel room was severed cleanly as if it were paper!
And to make matters more shocking, before she could fully grasp what just happened, a large hand made of some clear gas manifested and calmly picked up the roof before tossing it into the distance like it were a weightless pebble and not a few ton heavy roof of a building.
Following the sudden feat of superhuman strength, Zhu Que's view of the skies was now unblocked, and because of that, she managed to see the perpetrators.
In the air above her were three figures. Two middle-aged men in shining Silver armor adorned with a snowflake with a sword pierced through. One held a sword, while the other had an outstretched hand that seemingly controlled the giant hand she had seen earlier.
Zhu Que quickly pieced together that the middle-aged men were the people who removed her roof so surgically, but they weren't the figure that truly garnered her attention. Instead, the epitome of beauty above them stood on a sword floating in the air.
Sword Kinesis was a skill that was the usual mode of transportation for Sword Cultivators but to do so required Sword Law. And even then, one could stay in the air for as long as their Spiritual Qi allowed them to.
So since he was only in the Bone Strengthening Realm, Xue Bai couldn't stay in the air for very long. However, in order to keep the mystical and mysterious image engrained in Zhu Que's mind, Xue Bai needed to fly.
After all, if he were to be carried like a handbag by Big Wang, any demeanor of an expert Xue Bai would have would be swept away.
But this would also drain Xue Bai's Spiritual Qi extremely quickly, so before he fell out of the air and embarrassed himself, Xue Bai quickly started speaking.
"I was right! Peak Earth-grade Martial Vein truly did appear in this region!" Xue Bai laughed as if he had found a treasure.
Following his words, Xue Bai controlled his flying sword to descend downward and dropped into Zhu Que's motel room.
Even flying for 5 minutes had drained his Spiritual Qi by more than half, and if he stayed any longer, he would most likely start to wobble in the air. So before he embarrassed himself, he dropped out of the air.
Landing a few feet away from Zhu Que, who was stunned motionless, Xue Bai started pacing around her as if he were admiring a piece of art.
"Master is going to be excited!" Xue Bai laughed before looking at Zhu Que, who was still covering her face with the cloak, "Sister, do you know how talented you are?"
However, still stunned silent, Zhu Que couldn't formulate a response and only sputtered incoherent nothingness.
"Take your time, Sister," Xue Bai said in a reassuring tone, "I know there was a lot of stimuli just now, so take your time to organize your thoughts."
And to help her calm down, Xue Bai pulled out a small table and two chairs, along with a tea set.
"Drink some tea and relax your mind. No one would ever dare to rush you with me here." Xue Bai calmly spoke as he poured out a pot of Fragrant Dew Tea.
The tea wasn't extremely luxurious, only being a Low Yellow-grade Natural Treasure, but its entire effect was for soothing an anxious soul, which was perfect for Zhu Que's current situation.
Seemingly able to start grasping her words again, Zhu Que mumbled a soft thank you before sitting down.
She also grabbed one of the cups of tea Xue Bai set out and poured out a cup of the Fragrant Few for herself, but before she sipped from the cup, she pulled down her cloak, revealing her face.
At this early in the plot, Zhu Que wasn't the beauty she was later on, but the more Xue Bai looked at her, the more pleasing she became to the eye.
Her eyes, while covered with her long unkempt bangs and bags, had a deep beautiful red color that contrasted with her element. With fair red lips, long legs, and thick thighs, she was definitely a beauty, but from the rough tan and her years of no personal upkeep, her looks were severely downgraded.
However, once she gets her bloodline, all of that would change. And she would undergo a stunning metamorphosis, transforming her from her caterpillar state into a beautiful butterfly.
Xue Bai only needed to bring her to where it was kept and gain her favor. So putting on a patient smile, Xue Bai let Zhu Que process her situation.
As for the motel owners who were screaming outside about their roofs, Xue Bai motioned for Little Wang to take care of it, which was easily settled by him throwing an entire bag of gold coins toward them.
While Spirit Stones were the most common currency in the Baishen Plane, for people in the Barren Lands, Spirit Stones were so rare that one could even be a family heirloom.
And to spend such a valuable item on anything, or even for cultivation, was a waste of heaven's resources in their minds. So instead, they used Copper, Silver, and Gold coins for most of their transactions.
The Great Xuan Empire also had Gold Coins, but since most of the population of the Great Xuan were cultivators, gold coins were barely used. However, most cultivators still kept a bag full of them, just in case they would ever need them.
Little Wang was no exception, and while he wasn't sure how many were in the bag he had thrown at the motel owner, he knew it was in the thousands range, which to him was nothing. But as for the motel owner, he now had not only enough money to retire but even for their grandchildren to retire.
And after thanking Little Wang profusely, the motel owner ran off, not wanting to disturb their business. He didn't even care about his motel anymore either, and right now, he couldn't wait to go out and live the rest of his life as an Emperor!
The payoff wasn't hidden from Zhu Que either, and after she saw such a fortune be thrown out so casually as if it were nothing, the image of this mysterious beauty and her bodyguards was elevated once more.
However, instead of speaking yet, Zhu Que quickly downed the cup of Fragrant Dew Tea.
Zhu Que didn't think it was poisoned, if Xue Bai and his followers wanted to kill her, she wouldn't be able to resist at all. So why would he go through such extensive efforts to kill her with poison when he could do so with the flip of his hand?
And true to her guess, once she finished her cup of tea, she instantly felt a cool gush of refreshment that traveled all throughout her body, calming her chaotic and anxious mind.
"Um, can I call you Little Sister?" Zhu Que spoke up as she surveyed the room.
However, after seeing the two bodyguards in armor frown at her words, she looked closer at Xue Bai and, to her shock, found he had an Adams Apple!
"Sorry," Zhu Que apologized immediately, "I didn't know you were a boy. I mean, it's hard to guess."
Thankfully, Xue Bai didn't care much and waved off her concern.
"It happens almost every time I meet someone new, so it's fine. Just continue what you were saying. Little Brother is fine."
Even though he was older than Zhu Que by a few years mentally, Xue Bai didn't care much if he was called Little Brother. If anything, the close form of addressing would only make their relationship closer. So Xue Bai was okay with it.
"Then, Little Brother, it is." Zhu Que said gladly with a smile that caused a small ripple in his heart.
'Damn the charm of a female protagonist too much!' Xue Bai cursed as he suppressed the feeling.
Other than having men lust over her and attempt to kidnap her at every turn, Zhu Que has had simps who, after falling in love with her at first sight, would do anything to please her.
And since Xue Bai had no wish to become such a deplorable man, he forcibly suppressed any lovey emotion he felt toward the girl. He already had Xiao'er!
"You said that I was extremely talented, right?" Zhu Que asked, uncertainty in her tone.
To which Xue Bai nodded.
"Then what does that mean? I know I have Martial Veins and can cultivate a little quicker than others, but how does one test talent?" Zhu Que spoke rather embarrassedly.
She had no clue about anything in the cultivation world beyond Martial Veins and the Vein Transformation Realm. And since Xue Bai looked so helpful and willing to assist, she could only burden him with her ignorant questions.
Xue Bai, thankfully, was more than willing to help her, and during the next hour, he would explain to her everything about cultivation, its realms, how items were ranked, and anything else she wanted to know.
And over the course of the conversation, Xue Bai could feel she was opening up to him. Zhu Que had just suffered the worst calamity in her life just two days ago, and her opening up this early was a surprise to Xue Bai.
But since he couldn't really ask why she trusted him without raising her suspicions, he could only chalk it up to his overwhelming charm and beauty.
"Sister Zhu, as I said earlier, my Master would be more than willing to accept another disciple. Do you want to come to follow me back to the sect?" Xue Bai finally tossed out the hook.
Zhu Que, however, to his slight surprise, didn't agree immediately but instead threw a question back at Xue Bai.
"Little Brother, I heard stories of people being able to resurrect the dead by cultivating," Zhu Que asked with glistening eyes, "Is this true, or are they just stories."
Xue Bai obviously knew what she meant by her words, but since she didn't go any deeper with her words, he didn't point it out.
The matter of her killing not only her parents but everyone she knew was something she wanted to take to the grave. So she, of course, wouldn't tell Xue Bai who she meant only an hour ago, no matter how much she enjoyed his company.
"Yes, you can, Sister Zhu," Xue Bai answered, giving her hope, "However, in order to do so, you must become strong. Far stronger than you can even imagine. But I can guarantee you it's possible."
He, of course, couldn't truly say it was possible, but from the cultivation novels he had read, once the main character would become strong enough, they would resurrect all of their weaker friends and family.
And Xue Bai didn't think the world he was in was any different.
Hearing Xue Bai's answer Zhu Que went silent for a minute and lowered her head, and after mumbling a few words, raised her head once more. From Xue Bai's words, she could tell that the task was daunting, but since Zhu Que heard it was possible, a fire ignited in her eyes.
"Then I will join!" Zhu strongly proclaimed as she wiped away the tears falling from her eyes.
"Good! Master will surely be happy!"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When this chapter is uploaded, I should have arrived at my destination.
Also, something I figured out is that webnovel has a very easy way to upload chapters ahead of schedule, so I think I will still have chapters uploaded at 1 PM EST.
If this does end up changing, though, I will warn you guys, however.
And one final announcement, the next chapter I will upload is, so far, my favorite one I have written. A lot of stuff happens, and one of them is something you have been knocking on me for, ever since chapter 1.
I won't go into further details, but just wait and see!