Self-Recount
“In summary, your hints led you here. Your second brother and Captain Song are detained here.”
“Yeah, man. I thought I heard his voice when we first came in; however, I found this side more suspicious. Since we haven’t found him after two days, he should be held underground on the other end. I suppose it wouldn’t make sense for people to enter Luo Ming’s secret chamber.”
There was no need to hide my goal after confiding a whole bunch of other stuff, especially in lieu of the potential ramifications. To specify, I told her everything that happened since leaving the capital while we headed to the other end. I already gave her reports on the same topic before, but this was the most detailed version.
Shen Yiren, showing excellent memory, asked for verification on details I previously mentioned. I couldn’t remember some of the flavouring I sprinkled in there, yet she remembered all of it.
“I was wondering how Zha Pi could suddenly stomp people as Reverend Zha. Poison King and River Monster took off with me right when you found me?”
“Yeah, man. I lost it; I nearly went after Abels. Had you not had the scent on you, I’d probably have gathered up men and razed Luo Sword Manor to the ground already.”
Unable to tolerate my speech style, Shen Yiren slapped me over the head: “How many men you have? Why didn’t you rescue me if you already found me?”
“What do you mean I didn’t rescue you?! You wouldn’t be here if I didn’t!”
“I only have a memory of someone forcing a kiss on me when I came to.”
“That happened? That hero is brave. This old one adm-”
“Shut up!” Shen Yiren punched me in the dome this time. “Still not going to honestly explain why you kissed me?”
“To save you! You told me you don’t mind it anymore after you pieced me up! You just went back on your word!”
“Was everything you told me then the truth?”
“Uh…”
“I honestly don’t know how many hundreds of lies you’ve told me since day one, so I need to question you. Furthermore, why would you need to stick your tongue in someone’s mouth to save them?”
The ceiling is nice.
“Hey, answer the question.” Shen Yiren pretended to be angry.
I didn’t plan to lie. Thing is, she clearly wasn’t as nonchalant about it as she let on.
“Oi… Did you just take advantage of the situation?”
“Hell no!” I waved my hands frantically. “Indeed, I didn’t need to kiss you to cure your fake death condition… I was worried you’d find out about me, though. I knew you had your awareness, so I had to mislead you, and there weren’t many options to choose from in that situation. You have no idea how much I wrestled with myself when I chose tongue warfare.”
“Must’ve been hard on you.”
“Just double my salary and triple my time off. Thank you in advance.”
“You can thank me after I knock your socks off!” Shen Yiren curled her lips. “I’ll pardon you this once. Next time, you’ll be three legs less.”
See? Boss is nice to me.
“By the way, the reason I left the last few days was to find two people…” I went ahead and filled Boss in on how I assisted Mountain Monster and River Monster.
“No wonder why you arrived late and happened to arrive right when Four Seasons Formation was dismantled.” Shen Yiren nodded a few times and then looked away from me.
“Stop giving me that look! I beat it!”
Why are you still not convinced that I’m not weak?!
“Okay, okay, you beat it. If you were born tens of thousands of years earlier, you would’ve created the world and put Pangu out of a job.”
You’re just taking a dump on me!
Shen Yiren took out a sheet of paper from her shirt: “I found this in one of the rooms but never had time to mention it while we were looking for an escape route.”
“This is…?”
“Some notes pertaining to Luo Ming’s Refining Divine Convention.”
We didn’t know who the alliance letter was for. Nevertheless, there was no question they were integral to Refining Divine Convention, and it ended with, “This one will never forget the favour. This letter is proof.” Proof meant that Luo Ming’s conspirators could pass the letter on to the imperial court or personally publicise it if he ever betrayed them.
Who could be worth Luo Ming staking his future like this, and how many people alive are even fit to help him?
“Let’s keep the letter for now,” suggested Shen Yiren. “As for whom his conspirators are, we can worry about that later.”
I tucked the letter away.
“Based off what you told me, we aren’t on Dragonroot Island, correct? How did you bring me here?”
“I… sealed your accupoints.”
“I can imagine. How did you find this island?”
“I’ll introduce my comrade, Wugufengdeng, to you later.”
“Pfft, what sort of name is that?”
“One befitting a rat.”
***
“It appears the finalists have been decided.” By the time Luo Siming arrived on the scene, there was hardly anyone standing after Yu Feiyuan unleashed her sword, much to his surprise. “You have all had two tough days. Everyone here is going into the finals. Please follow this one.”
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