Chapter 5: Misunderstandings and Competitiveness

Chapter 5: Misunderstandings and Competitiveness

5

Misunderstandings and Competitiveness

I

Before anything else, Duo Lan, Hao Zhen said, I want to know where you were last night. After seeing Duo Lan suddenly appear in the clearing, his heart had almost jumped out of his chest. Thankfully, he had been prepared for it and had managed to stop her from freaking out on them.

Duo Lan gave him a blank look, as if she didnt understand what he was talking about. Then her eyes widened. Are you Are you trying to say I had something to do with this? She bristled, glaring at him.

Her glare was something else, all right. Hao Zhen had no idea how Tian Jin could stand being on the receiving end of it so often. Duo Lans appearance wasnt anything special. In fact, Hao Zhen would even go as far as to say she was rather plain-looking, if not unremarkable. She was, however, the tallest girl he had ever seen in his current life, standing only an inch or so shorter than him, and her glare was fiercely intense. She could be nothing short of intimidating when she wanted. Still, he stood his ground. He couldnt back down now.The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

Hao Zhen glanced at Tian Jin. Thankfully, Tian Jin seemed to get the message and took a step forward, slightly raising the sword in his hand, preparing himself for a fight.

At that, Duo Lan looked between the two of them, as if she couldnt believe what was happening, an incredulous look on her face. Then she gritted her teeth. All right, I understand. You want to know where I was last night, right?

Yes. We agreed to meet up at the clearing in the center of the valley by nightfall. I arrived there at the agreed time, but even after waiting for a while, nobody appeared. I then found Tian Jin and Ke Li fighting each other, so their absence is explained. Yours isnt.

Hao Zhen didnt think Duo Lan was involved. Du Qing hadnt mentioned her in the jade slip, nor had Ke Li so much as spoken her name or insinuated some sort of connection between them last night. That didnt change the fact that her absence last night was suspicious, however. Hao Zhen wasnt about to take any chances.

I was Duo Lan hesitated. She glanced at Tian Jin, and her cheeks reddened slightly. She looked down. I was I was gathering magical plants. I spent the entire night looking for them.

Hao Zhen frowned. That wasnt the explanation he had been expecting. Then again, it wasnt as if he had been expecting anything in particular, but this was just too weak of a reason. What she said didnt make that much sense, either, and her reaction was also rather odd. Glancing at Tian Jin, Hao Zhen saw that he was also frowning.

And why exactly were you doing that? Hao Zhen finally asked. Did you have a hard time finding any? That was the only reason he could think of.

No, I found plenty. Duo Lan shook her head, before murmuring something he couldnt hear.

Hao Zhen frowned. What was that?

Duo Lan glared at him, gritting her teeth. I wanted to make sure I had gotten more than Tian Jin, she said, all in one breath, practically vomiting the words.

Ill explain, Tian Jin said. Hao Zhen nodded his head and silently stood to the side as Tian Jin gave a summary of last nights events similar to the one he had given to Hao Zhen not too long ago. When Tian Jin revealed that he had a spiritual skill, Duo Lan gave him a sharp look, but the other boy pointedly ignored her, continuing his story. By the time Tian Jin was done, Duo Lan didnt appear taken aback. Instead, she looked outright incensed.

Du Qing wont get away with this, she said, her jaw clenched, clearly convinced now that the contents of the jade slip were real. We need to return to the sect immediately to settle this. Her surprise at Tian Jin having a spiritual skill seemed to have already faded away, supplanted by indignation.

Hao Zhen suppressed the urge to groan. Although he had been hoping that this wouldnt be the case, Duo Lan was reacting almost the same way Tian Jin had after being shown the incriminating jade slip. Then again, he had been expecting this; Du Qing had after all arranged for Ke Li to kill her, and Duo Lan didnt strike him as the kind of girl who took attempts on her life lightly.

Sighing, Hao Zhen stepped forward and cleared his throat, drawing Duo Lans attention. He then gave her the same explanation he had given Tian Jin. He did his best to convince her that they couldnt simply trust the elders of the sect and that the jade slip wouldnt be enough to get Du Qing in trouble. As it turned out, Duo Lan wasnt nearly as easy to convince as Tian Jin, but he ultimately managed to get her to accept that simply charging into the sect demanding justice wasnt a particularly good plan.

So whats your idea? she snapped, looking at him challengingly. She clearly didnt think he had managed to come up with anything good.

Unfortunately, she was right.

Im not sure, Hao Zhen admitted. At that, Duo Lans expression turned vicious, but before she could say anything, he quickly added, And that is why I think we should spend some time considering our options and coming up with plans. In any case, were not in a hurry to return, and I dont think we should do so before we have a plan.

I agree, Tian Jin said, and Duo Lan snapped her head in his direction, looking at him intently. Well make Du Qing pay, but Hao Zhens right. We need a proper plan first. We cant just rush in and expect everything to work out.

Good, Hao Zhen thought to himself. Tian Jin was learningand, more importantly, Tian Jin had just proved that he could learn. As far as Hao Zhen could tell, after regaining his memories, he stopped being affected by whatever it was that was making everyone act like characters of a cultivation novel.

Hao Zhen could recall instances in which he believed that he had been pretty much stripped of his willin which his actions were directly dictated by a higher power. In contrast, what had happened a short while ago, when he realized he had been forgetting something but dismissed it, hadnt been the result of some external influence acting on him. Or at least he didnt think that was the case. As far as he could tell, that had simply been something he had been conditioned to do by the world because of the constant manipulation.

What Hao Zhen hadnt been certain about was whether he could influence others into also ignoring this external influence. Thankfully, Tian Jin had just proved that such a thing was possible; if it wasn't, Tian Jin would have insisted on returning to the sect and directly confronting Du Qing, as he had originally intended.

Truthfully, if the events of the world really replicated that of the plot of a cultivation novelif Tian Jins fate was indeed analogous to that of the storyline of a cultivation novel protagonistthen even if he did confront Du Qing without making any plans, hed probably end up triumphing in the end somehow. After all, that was how it always went for cultivation novel protagonists, constantly diving headfirst into trouble without a second thought and somehow coming out a winner in the end, against all odds.

Hao Zhen wasnt about to take any chances, however. He didnt know whether any of his theories were correct, and he wasnt just going to put his life on the line just like that. Even if he was just wasting his time, he had to do this. Moreover, while it was true that cultivation novel protagonists always came out on top, the same couldnt be said for their companions. Sometimes, sacrifices were made so that the protagonist could succeed, and Hao Zhen didnt fancy being one.

If they returned to the sect with Tian Jin alive and Ke Li dead, there was no doubt that Du Qing would suspect that his plans had been revealed and so would try to silence everyone involved. In the first place, he had already been planning on killing the three of them. To stay alive, Hao Zhen needed to ensure that Du Qing would be dealt with.

All right, Duo Lan said, though she didnt look entirely convinced. I guess it cant hurt to think of something.

Hao Zhen let out a breath of relief. He had been worried he and Tian Jin would have had to hold Duo Lan down. All things considered, so far things were going rather well. Now they just needed to come up with a proper plan of action, and based on what they came up with, hed figure out his own short-term plans.