Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Wei Chen's softness was both his flaw and his strength. Whether being soft-hearted or ruthless was better did not have a clear answer. Different situations called for different interpretations; compassion and weakness were not the same.
Wei Chen and Shaohou reached a consensus: if Dongfang Ming's fellow did not demand a reprint, then they would not bring it up. The benefits of enhancing mental strength through cultivation methods were something they could enjoy themselves, and finding an appropriate opportunity to repay Dongfang Ming slightly would not be difficult.
However, if Dongfang Ming foolishly demanded a reprint, then there would be no hesitation; they would simply eliminate him.
For now, Dongfang Ming could still live, but how long he would last depended entirely on his own actions.
Dongfang Ming indeed kept his mouth shut. Since Wei Chen did not mention the reprint, he dared not bring it up either. After all, the combat power of Wei Chen and his companions far surpassed his own. Even if their strengths were similar, facing three opponents alone was not something he would dare to do. He understood well that if he angered Wei Chen, he would surely face a joint assault from all three of them—ten lives wouldn't be enough to pay for that mistake.
Back in town, Wei Chen met privately with Dugu.
"I thought you would kill Dongfang Ming right after obtaining the method to enhance your mental strength. I didn't expect you to have no intention of taking action," Dugu said, looking at Wei Chen with disappointment in his eyes.
He was straightforward; Wei Chen's approach seemed inappropriate to him. Most people would have chosen to eliminate Dongfang Ming without hesitation. In his previous life, Dugu had been decisive in killing; he never hesitated when it came to eliminating threats.
In his view, anyone who posed a threat should be dealt with directly whenever possible to avoid future troubles.
Wei Chen smiled lightly and replied, "Killing Dongfang Ming isn't difficult, but he just provided me with benefits. If I were to kill him now, it would seem rather ungrateful. Many elders have advised me not to be too soft-hearted, or I might suffer for it. However, I've never faced catastrophic consequences for missing the chance to kill someone. Take Dongfang Ming as an example; if I don't kill him for now, what can he do?"
"You promised him some kind of seal in exchange for the method to enhance your mental strength. Yet after receiving the method from Dongfang Ming, you haven't given him what you agreed upon," Dugu Qiubai pointed out.
"And so what?" Wei Chen replied calmly.
Dugu said, "He will definitely hold a grudge and will look for opportunities to deal with you."
"That's exactly what I think. When he tries to deal with me, I'll just kill him then. Isn't that perfect? By that time, I'll have plenty of excuses to eliminate him. For now, since I've taken his benefits, I really can't bring myself to take action," Wei Chen said with a bitter smile.
"Dugu Biebie" said, "Hypocritical."
"I have always been hypocritical; it's the way I survive," "Wei Chen" admitted openly. In his attitude towards "Dongfang Ming," his behavior could indeed be considered hypocritical.
After a pause, "Wei Chen" continued candidly, "In truth, I am a hypocritical person. I have my own principles when it comes to doing things, and those principles often involve wanting to take advantage while avoiding blame. Most of the time, what I seek is a sense of peace of mind, and thus hypocrisy becomes a normal state of affairs."
It was indeed quite hypocritical, and with such blatant hypocrisy, "Dugu" found himself at a loss for words.
"So, what have you decided about the expedition to 'Mirror Lake'?" "Dugu" was still most concerned about this issue. He thought that "Wei Chen's" own matters were indecisive and unreliable; the idea of exploring the depths of "Mirror Lake" had been lingering in his mind.
"Wei Chen" was equally invested in the idea of exploration. Not killing "Dongfang Ming" also played into his calculations. Having an extra person for the adventure would always be beneficial.
After a moment of contemplation, "Wei Chen" said, "We can give it a try, but if we encounter danger, we withdraw immediately. That kind of place is bound to be fraught with peril, and our strength is really not that impressive."
Upon hearing this, "Dugu" joyfully exclaimed, "No problem! When do we leave?"
"We'll wait until it's later at night. We need to ensure that no one sees us. That way, if we find any treasures, no one will know. You understand the principle of 'having jade brings trouble,' right?" "Wei Chen" looked at "Dugu Qiubai" and said lightly.
"Dugu" nodded slightly, a look of joy on his face.
...
Late at night, "Wei Chen" and the others arrived quietly by "Mirror Lake."
"Shao Hou" was following closely behind "Wei Chen," while "Dugu" was eager to go down and take a look. Only "Dongfang Ming" maintained strong doubts about this operation.
"Are we really going down to Mirror Lake? Three brothers, this feels wrong. Mirror Lake is calm on the surface, but there must be something extraordinary down there. What exactly it is, no one knows. If we rashly go down, in my opinion, it would be no different from courting death. Moreover, it's important to note that Mirror Lake Town is very close to Right Holy City. With such a big reputation, countless powerful natives from the Witch Clan must have gone down before us. The treasures inside are either taken by those strong ones or are so formidable that even they lost their lives there."
Dongfang Ming didn't want to go; he was dragged here by Wei Chen and the others.
"Also, with our level of strength, it's hardly enough, right? If there are any slightly stronger Witch Beasts down in Mirror Lake, honestly, we would all die there."
Dongfang Ming's attitude was clear; it showed that he was a cautious person. His concerns were just like Wei Chen's earlier worries.
"You piece of trash! If it weren't for the fact that I need to improve my Mental Strength through the Cultivation Method Face, I would take you out right now," Wei Chen thought to himself, his face showing displeasure as he said, "Dongfang Ming, just give us a straight answer: are we going or not? The three of us are going for sure. Don't blame us later if you miss out on the benefits."
Hearing this, Dongfang Ming was stunned. Whether to go or not was a significant issue! Wei Chen had made it clear; if he chose not to go, he knew he would be seen as a coward in the eyes of these three and would never be able to hold his head high again.
"Fine then! Let's go! Who's afraid of whom? If you all dare to go, why shouldn't I?"
Dongfang Ming decided to go for it. "But let me make it clear: if we encounter an unbeatable enemy, I'm leaving immediately and won't fight to the bitter end. Also, any treasures we find will be divided equally; whoever gets it keeps it."
"Alright," Wei Chen nodded with a grin, having no objections to this arrangement. He thought to himself that if there were any dangers beneath Mirror Lake, the first one to die would definitely be Dongfang Ming. Even if he took all the benefits for himself, it wouldn't matter!
Wei Chen and Dugu had already firmly memorized the contents of the map and wasted no time as they led the way into the lake.
The ordinary lake water and pressure posed no significant difficulties as the four of them submerged to the lake bottom.
After searching for a while at the lake bottom, Wei Chen expanded his Mental Strength, reaching several dozen meters beneath the muddy surface.
Finally, in a position towards the northeast of Mirror Lake, Wei Chen's Mental Strength encountered some obstacles. He used his Mental Strength to "scan" the shapes of those obstacles, which closely resembled what was shown on the Ancient Map.
"This is the place, Shaohou. Use your sword energy to break through," Wei Chen communicated to Shaohou.
Shaohou drew his treasured sword. It was somewhat difficult to wield in the deep water, but he still managed to complete the task assigned by Wei Chen.
Once the murky water cleared, Wei Chen and the others descended into the deep pit and saw a circular door filled with misty energy.
Just as described on the Ancient Map, there were countless mysteries hidden deep within the earth.
Wei Chen was the first to step into the misty energy, arriving in an underground palace.
The layer of mist only isolated the lake water; it did not restrict passage for people.
A magnificent hall, shining with gold and jade, appeared before Wei Chen's eyes. Soon after, Shaohai, Dugu, and Dongfang Ming also entered the hall.
Behind them was the door of misty energy, and beyond that was the lake water.
The hall was resplendent, adorned with gleaming gold and silver everywhere, looking both gaudy and extravagantly luxurious.
"It’s rare to see such architecture on Witch Clan's continent. Everything there is quite simple. Perhaps this isn’t even from Witch Clan’s continent but from another world?" Shaohou speculated.
Wei Chen nodded in agreement. "That seems about right. The people of Witch Clan wouldn’t create such ostentatious things; they value practicality. It’s possible that this palace was left behind by people from another world. Just like us bringing a Sea Palace from the Ancestral Realm and leaving it here—it wouldn’t be difficult to achieve a similar effect."
The four of them felt somewhat disappointed. Since it was foreign merchandise and not native to Witch Clan's continent, whatever treasures lay within likely held little value.
"Well then, since we’re here, let’s take a look around. This palace is quite large; perhaps we’ll stumble upon something good," Wei Chen reassured everyone as he took the lead in exploring.
He had a map in his mind, marked with locations that might lead to treasures. He searched through all of them, but unfortunately, there were no signs of battle, not even a fragment of bone, and certainly no treasure.
"This is just damn boring. All the treasures have been taken by others. We arrived too late and got nothing," Wei Chen said, glancing at the three dejected companions. In truth, not finding any treasure wasn't a big deal; after all, there were no losses, and no one was hurt.
However, coming with high hopes, especially for the lonely one who wanted to quickly enhance their Witch Power through treasure, it was a huge disappointment.
"No wonder Mirror Lake Town has always been so quiet; there have never been any reports of treasures being unearthed. Heh, this palace is like a weakling that anyone can take a bite from. Now that it's been gnawed on, only a skeleton remains," Dugu said bitterly. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment; he was very unhappy.
Wei Chen was somewhat more composed and smiled, "Dugu, let things be as they are. If it's not ours, then it's not ours. We can't force it."
Dugu had no response and wore a cold expression.
Dongfang Ming remained silent for a moment, unsure whether to curry favor with the young master of Yang Residence or to acknowledge that he had indeed come away empty-handed. He looked at Wei Chen and spoke in an extremely flat tone, laced with sarcasm, "I’ve long moved past this. Coming here was pointless; look around—there's nothing. But at least there’s no danger; otherwise, it would be too frustrating."
He wanted to align with Dugu's line of thought since Dugu was nominally the young master of Yang Residence and a prominent figure in Right Holy City.
However, he had no idea that it was Dugu himself who insisted on coming for this "adventure," not Wei Chen as he assumed.
Dugu narrowed his eyes and glared at Dongfang Ming coldly. "Dongfang Ming, do you want to die?"
A strong killing intent instantly locked onto Dongfang Ming from all directions. In the eyes of Swordsmanship Master Dugu, Dongfang Ming was full of flaws! No matter from which direction he struck, he could take Dongfang Ming's life in an instant!
Comment 0 Comment Count