dhibooks Chapter 72 Face Chain
Chapter 72 Face Chain
The scene from my memory reappeared before my eyes, so clear as if I had seen it just yesterday.
—In fact, I did see it just yesterday.
The dreams that have been troubling Zhongli lately are all like this, a story he almost thought he had forgotten.
He did not answer Xun Ming, just as Morax did not answer the girl who had the same appearance as Xun Ming a thousand years ago. However, the demon god at that time was not good with words and ultimately chose to answer with actions.
He left with the girl and opened up a new place to shelter the wandering humans. The girl became the tribe's priestess as one of the gods' first believers.
But Zhongli doesn't want to do that now.
He gently but firmly pulled away Xun Ming's hand that was holding his sleeve.
"Sir?"
She seemed not to have expected to be rejected, and looked up at him blankly.
Zhong Li's fingertips twitched, a completely subconscious action; he hadn't even figured out what he was planning to do yet.
This shouldn't be happening; my emotions are getting too caught up in this. He thought.
But before he could really figure out what to do next, the surrounding black mist dissipated.
Holding the missing box in one hand and dragging a jet-black monster in the other, Hu Tao strode across the courtyard gate toward them. "Oh, what a coincidence, you're here too! Come and see what this master has caught—"
Her words came to an abrupt halt, clearly indicating that she had noticed the strange atmosphere.
Xun Ming hurriedly lowered his head, not wanting her to see the tear stains remaining on his face.
The marks on his face are hidden, but the clues on his body can't be dealt with in a short time.
It was summer, and she was wearing the most fashionable style in Chenyu Valley. The blue skirt barely covered her knees, and the marks on her calves from the previous bumps were completely exposed, which immediately caught Hu Tao's attention.
Her gaze was too intense, and Xun Ming felt a little uncomfortable, so he tugged at his skirt.
Hu Tao snapped out of her daze, her eyebrows furrowing: "What happened? How did you get these injuries? Are there other monsters here?"
Before Xun Ming could reply, she turned to Zhong Li and said resentfully, "Guest, were you with Miss Xun Ming just now? Why didn't you protect her?"
Putting aside the fact that Xun Ming himself is already quite lovable, protecting every client who comes to Wangshengtang for help is their duty. But now that someone has been injured right under their noses, what will become of Wangshengtang's reputation?
The Rebirth Hall is already deserted; if this continues, it's afraid it'll start to get covered in cobwebs!
Hu Tao was so angry she gritted her teeth, vowing to teach those bad guys a lesson once Xun Ming told her who had hurt her!
Xun Ming, somewhat overwhelmed by her enthusiasm, lowered the veil hanging on his hat, and only spoke softly after he was completely covered: "Master Hu, please don't be angry. I bumped into these things because I was afraid and ran around. I just met Mr. Zhongli, and he took good care of me, so please don't blame him."
Through the veil, her voice sounded muffled and indistinct, with an indescribable quality.
Hu Tao couldn't taste it, but Zhong Li glanced at her without making a sound.
Since the parties involved had said so, Hu Tao couldn't pursue the matter any further and had no choice but to back down.
After thinking for a moment, she simply took out what she had just found.
The box was naturally handed over to Xun Ming, while the demon was given to Zhong Li, who was always knowledgeable and experienced.
"Guest, take a look at this. What exactly is it?"
Actually, there was no need for Zhongli to come and see, since the monster was still baring its fangs and claws, trying to escape, and spewing out the black mist that the three of them were familiar with, attempting to repeat the same trick.
Unfortunately, its previous setup had exhausted its power. It struggled to exhale several times, but the black mist only amounted to a small wisp.
Zhongli then explained the function of the black mist: "To shield the five senses and to create illusions."
The idea of blocking their five senses is easy to understand, since they've already experienced it, but the idea of creating hallucinations...
Hu Tao didn't think Zhong Li would say anything unimportant. Since he mentioned the function of the black mist, it must have already happened.
Her gaze swept over Xun Ming and Zhong Li, finally settling on the former.
Before coming to find the two, she wandered around the area for a while and did not hear the voice that Xun Ming had mentioned earlier, the one that shouted "Morax".
Could it be a hallucination that Xun Ming was having?
She looked at Zhong Li again, her eyes filled with curiosity.
Zhong Li nodded: "Most of the illusions produced by the black mist originate from oneself. Different people will see different things. If you are obsessed with pursuing something, you may see it in your illusions."
Xun Ming seemed to be pondering something and remained silent.
Hu Tao didn't intend to delve into what she was thinking. Seeing that Zhong Li had finished speaking, she cleanly and efficiently dealt with the restless demon.
She just didn't expect that this simple thing would trigger a series of unexpected events—
When the sound of wood breaking rang in his ears, Zhongli was the first to look up.
Xun Ming was the second.
Her perception seemed to be far beyond that of ordinary people. Before Hu Tao could turn around in confusion because of Zhong Li's sudden movement, she had already pulled Hu Tao and Zhong Li outside.
The houses behind them collapsed with a roar.
Hu Tao stared blankly at the scene before her, her legs moving faster than her brain, and she instinctively started running. Xun Ming, on the other hand, became the one being dragged along by her, and even tripped over his own foot because he couldn't keep up with her speed.
"Hmm!"
She fell heavily to the ground.
A broken piece of wood from the eaves crashed down, but just before it hit her, a golden light flashed before her eyes, and a jade shield unfolded around the three of them, blocking the flying debris and fragments.
When everything calmed down and the dust settled, Xun Ming, with tears in his eyes, was already being embraced by Hu Tao.
Hu Tao patted her chest in lingering fear: "You scared me to death! When you pulled me away like that, I completely forgot that our guest elder had this trick up his sleeve. I almost thought you were really going to get hit!"
Xun Ming, still somewhat shaken, looked up blankly at the only person still standing, his lips moving to utter a few words: "Thank you, sir..."
Zhong Li shook his head, indicating that she didn't need to worry about it.
Hu Tao tried to help her up, but Xun Ming had already injured her leg from running around, and now, because of the fall that had just caused her to bleed, her legs were shaking so badly that she could barely stand.
Seeing this, Hu Tao immediately bent down to carry her on her back, but Zhong Li stopped her as soon as she moved.
The man said, "The sect leader spent some time dealing with the demons, so he should rest for a while. I can take care of Miss Xun Ming."
He bent down and easily picked the person up.
Although she really wanted to refute his claim that he "put in some effort," since dealing with those low-level monsters was a piece of cake for her, Hu Tao felt that it was better not to say anything at this time.
She scratched her head, completely baffled, but oh well, she was happy to have some peace and quiet anyway.
The monster was captured, and the old house collapsed. In a sense, the mission was successfully completed. At Hu Tao's suggestion, the three of them returned directly to the Hall of Rebirth.
At this moment, Xun Ming was sitting on a mahogany chair in the Hall of Rebirth, which was specially used to entertain guests, watching Zhong Li apply medicine to the wound on her knee without blinking.
Hu Tao watched from the side, seemingly quite relaxed since there was nothing to do, but her mouth never stopped: "Anyway, since everything is just our speculation and there's no concrete evidence yet, if Miss Xun Ming hears that voice again, please remember to come back to us. Our services at Wangsheng Hall always include after-sales support!"
Xun Ming finally stopped looking at Zhong Li and smiled gently at her: "Thank you, Hall Master Hu. I will be careful."
Since they were all superficial injuries, they didn't take long to treat, and after a short rest, Xun Ming was soon able to move around freely again.
Holding the box, she took off the jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Hu Tao.
"What is this?" Hu Tao asked.
"It's payment." Xun Ming smiled sheepishly. "I didn't bring any Mora with me, so I had to use this as payment."
The jade bracelet was of very high quality. Even though Hu Tao didn't know much about such things, she could tell that it was very expensive. And Zhong Li's next words confirmed her guess.
Zhong Li took the bracelet from her hand and examined it: "The quality of this bracelet is excellent. If you take it to Xiguju to sell, it will fetch at least 200,000 Mora."
"Two hundred thousand Mora?!" Hu Tao stared in disbelief, quickly pushing the bracelet back. "No, no, no! You should take it back! I can't afford something so valuable!"
Xun Ming refused, saying, "Master Hu is joking. Before Prince Yan created the world's first Mora as a medium of exchange, barter was the basis of trade. It is only natural for me to entrust you with my help using the bracelet, so you don't need to refuse."
Her words sounded so eloquent that Hu Tao couldn't find a reason to refuse, and stood there frowning, feeling awkward.
In the end, Zhongli stepped in and made the decision: "Miss Xunming, please take the bracelet back. Consider it compensation from Wangsheng Hall for the injury you sustained during this engagement. The original engagement fee will be waived."
Hu Tao suddenly had a flash of inspiration and slapped his forehead: "Great idea! Let's do it this way!"
So the bracelet eventually returned to Xun Ming's hands.
She reluctantly put it on: "I really can't argue with the two of you by myself. Since that's the case, I can only accept it. Thank you, Master Hu."
Hu Tao waved his hand boldly.
Xun Ming picked up the box on the table and prepared to go back, but before leaving, Hu Tao asked her curiously what was in the box.
"This," Xun Ming thought for a moment, "I didn't know what was inside the box until I accidentally knocked it to the ground. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a gold necklace."
"Gold...face chain?" Zhong Li's breath hitched.
Although he quickly returned to normal, his momentary loss of composure still made Xun Ming and Hu Tao both turn their heads to look at him.
Zhong Li said in a low voice, "Could Miss Xun Ming please open the box so I can take a look?"
Xun Ming, of course, would not be stingy with such a small matter, and immediately opened the box to reveal its contents to the two of them.
The gold chain is exquisitely crafted, with long tassels cascading down and occasionally adorned with brightly colored turquoise. Even a single glance reveals its extraordinary value; one wonders which master craftsman it was made from.
*
"You're back!"
A young girl dressed in a pure white priestess robe came out of the temple to greet him, her face full of surprise and smiles, but when she saw him covered in blood, she turned into panic.
She quickly stepped forward and took his hand, tears streaming down her face as she looked at the bloody gash on his chest where a sharp blade had cleaved him. "How did you get hurt? Before we went, didn't you say that the guy we were dealing with wasn't strong and that we could take care of him quickly, and that I didn't need to come along?"
Morax, unusually guilty, looked away.
It can only be said that a demon god is still a demon god after all. Even the weakest demon god will fight to the death when death comes. This time, he was careless and failed to notice the guy's actions behind the scenes.
The girl was still crying, seemingly heartbroken over the injuries he had sustained during the campaign.
Morax's gaze drifted back and landed on her face.
It must be said that she cried very beautifully. Apart from the occasional sob that escaped her lips, it was almost silent, with only large tears sliding down her cheeks and falling to the ground with a thud.
The corners of its eyes and the tip of its nose were all red, making one think of something soft and fluffy, like the pink paw pads of a cat.
There was just one thing that Morax was very unhappy about.
His gaze fell on the necklace the girl was using for decoration.
This was the same one that had been broken because of his rudeness. The girl had picked it up sometime earlier, repaired it with her clumsy skills, and put it back on.
She used to be a priestess in that tribe, responsible for various matters related to worshipping the gods. This necklace was the only thing the poor tribe could offer, and it even became a token for exchange between priests.
As beings who might directly confront the gods, priests cannot be disrespectful in their attire; this is the only way they can maintain their meager dignity.
Perhaps that's why the girl always carried this with her whenever she saw him, even though it was very worn and old, it was still the most precious thing she owned.
But Morax didn't like it. After all, in a sense, it belonged to another demon god. But that was just his opinion. After all, it was just a very ordinary face chain, and the priests in every tribe used this style.
He didn't know how to describe his feelings, and he was afraid that the girl would find it strange if he said it, so he simply avoided the main point and said, "Take this off, the cracks on it are ugly."
The cracks, which are not very noticeable from a distance but become much more apparent up close, do affect the overall impression.
The girl had no objections whatsoever. After saying "sorry," she obediently took off the face mask and put it aside.
Morax then casually tossed the gold chain away the next second, saying, "We don't need to use this anymore, there's no need to keep it."
He will personally build an even better one for her.
Moreover, it wasn't just the necklace; as a priestess of the god of precious gold, she should naturally be adorned with magnificent gold ornaments made by him from head to toe.
(End of this chapter)
The author says: Waaaaah, can I beg for a comment? No feedback is giving me absolutely no motivation! (bursting into tears)