Chapter 213: Doubt (3)
Chapter 213: Doubt (3)
“Hmm, actually, the reason Little Lv said that is because the Young Master offended many people in the past. Now that you’ve lost all your cultivation level, there’s fear some might harbor ill intentions towards the Young Master. Therefore, it’s natural to remind you,” Little Lv explained.
“Damn, is my fate really this bitter? Just transmigrated over and already saddled with deep grudges? Stepping out the door means getting chased down for a fight?”
Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help but grumble inwardly. However, his face remained perfectly calm, appearing utterly unconcerned.
If his former classmates from his previous world witnessed this scene, they would surely exclaim, “Ah, remarkably composed! Truly the pinnacle of putting on a cool front, a glorious example for losers like us!”
Of course, the main reason he acted this way was probably because he seemed to have long been accustomed to this whole business of people wanting to beat or kill him.
“Looking at the Young Master, it seems you’re not worried at all? Could it be the Young Master’s cultivation hasn’t vanished? That shouldn’t be possible. Since even the Master said so, it must be true. Besides, I can’t sense any spiritual energy fluctuations from him at all,” Little Lv also mused inwardly upon seeing Tang Jinbiao’s demeanor, though her words were different: “Hmm, the Young Master must naturally be cautious, especially of that Tang Shan. His hatred for the Young Master runs deep. There are others too. Like Tang Huaxi and Tang Xingchi. In the past, the Young Master naturally wouldn’t need to worry; they were only at Qi Condensation Layer Eight. But now, with the Young Master’s cultivation gone, if those two secretly try to cause trouble or humiliation, I fear the Young Master wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Enough, Little Lv, no need to say more. My memory is completely gone, I’ve forgotten all about the past. Plus, I have no cultivation level now. If someone really comes knocking, there’s probably no way I could deal with it anyway,” Tang Jinbiao shook his head helplessly and said.
After all, even if Little Lv told him, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Hmm, then the Young Master must be careful. Although our Tang Family is a large prestigious family, internal strife among disciples is constant. It’s just that, previously, the Young Master was used to going it alone and has few friends. Now that the Young Master has fallen on hard times, these people probably won’t let matters rest easily.” Little Lv explained wholeheartedly to Tang Jinbiao. She clearly understood that this kind of trouble wasn’t something you could finish dealing with; it would be incessant!
“Brother, what are you doing? Want to come out and play with us?”
Just as Little Lv was speaking, a voice came from the courtyard gate. There stood a boy who looked like a porcelain doll. His large, round eyes stared at Tang Jinbiao as he asked his question in a childish voice.
“Won’t go, you go ahead. Be careful,” Tang Jinbiao replied, smiling for some reason.
Upon seeing this little brother, Tang Song, he felt no unfamiliarity at all; it was as if Tang Song truly was his younger brother. In his other world, he had no younger siblings, but he generally liked children.
“Hmm, okay, brother! If I find anything good this time, I’ll definitely bring it back for you!” Little Tang Song nodded obediently and then skipped away.
“Haha, suddenly feels like having a brother might not be so bad,” Tang Jinbiao muttered to himself, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth as he watched the adorable Tang Song leave.
“Haha, Young Master, actually, within the Tang Family, the Little Young Master listens to you the most. He doesn’t even listen to the Master’s words. I wish I had such an obedient and sensible younger brother too,” Little Lv said with an envious expression after watching Tang Song leave.
“Oh?” Tang Jinbiao hadn’t known about this relationship. Hearing it from Little Lv now, he thought perhaps the previous “Tang Jinbiao” had genuinely been very good to this little brother of his. Thinking about it, though, who wouldn’t cherish such a cute and obedient younger brother?
“Right, Young Master, perhaps you’d like to go out for a walk and stretch your legs? Staying cooped up inside all the time really isn’t good,” Little Lv suddenly seemed to remember something and changed the subject.
“Alright! I wanted to take a look around to familiarize myself with this place!” Tang Jinbiao thought about it. He had been over here for several days now; it really was time to go out and explore, otherwise, he might make himself sick from inactivity.
In that other world, he was a shut-in who could hole up in his dorm all day, but that wouldn’t work here. As the saying goes, the loser’s three treasures are: Daydreaming! Dota! And a crappy computer!
Especially the computer – that was the most important!
Tang Jinbiao casually changed clothes and walked out of the room with Little Lv. Soon, the two arrived at the Tang Family’s Back Hill. Standing atop the hill, Tang Jinbiao found a clean, large rock, lay down on it, and unknowingly fell asleep. He slept for four or five hours, by which time the sky had already darkened.
“Ah! Feels great!”
Tang Jinbiao woke up from his sleep, sat up, and stretched lazily.
“Huh? Where’s that kid?”
He turned around and realized Little Lv had left unnoticed at some point.
Lifting his head to gaze at the three suns nearly dipping below the mountains, an unpleasant bitterness filled Tang Jinbiao’s heart.
In his original world, he’d been a complete loser—no money, no looks, no talent, no height. Even gaming seemed beyond him; he was always the target of mockery. While others achieved super kills, he was the noob feeder delivering super defeats!
Logically speaking, gaining such an opportunity to cross into another world should’ve been a windfall. Though unsure of the Tang Family’s standing on the Divine Wind Continent or the exact circumstances, fragments of conversations and years immersed in fantasy cultivation novels gave him a rough idea.
But these were secondary. Most crucially, a persistent sense of unease gnawed at him; he just couldn’t grasp the exact reason.
Whether this so-called Divine Wind Academy was related to Chen Dong’s “Divine Grave,” he had no clue. His current state was one of knowing much yet understanding little—utterly bewildered.
“Cough, can I really never go back?”
Watching drifting clouds and passing birds at the horizon, Tang Jinbiao sighed deeply.
“Huh?”
Yet amid that sigh, his vision suddenly caught a glint of reflected sunlight sparkling from a spot not far away.
“What’s that? Looks like… a small green vial!”
His body jolted with excitement. He executed a carp leap, sprang upright, and strode toward the spot ten meters ahead. Though unclear what exactly it was, an inexplicable premonition stirred within him.
As he approached, he saw it appeared to be a small vial. Only the top third protruded from the soil, seemingly made of jade or similar material. The reflection earlier had come from golden characters etched on its surface.
“Holy shit!”
Tang Jinbiao walked over, scooped the vial from the dirt. Moist clay coated it, obscuring its details.
But upon holding it, his mind flashed unexpectedly to Han Paopao’s Green Vial from the legendary web novel “Mortal.”
“Holy hell! Could this be Han Paopao’s Green Vial? The Heaven Governing Vial?
Goddammit, ancestor! Since when did I get such insane luck?
This beats finding a lottery ticket worth five mil just stepping out the door, right?”
Tang Jinbiao lifted the vial, feeling its slight weight. Frantically wiping away clay with his sleeve, a green vial appeared before him.
It had a slender neck, exquisite raised patterns resembling dark-green leaves adorning its surface. A tiny cap sealed its top tightly.
“Holy hell! This damn thing looks exactly like Han Paopao’s Green Vial!”
Immediately, Tang Jinbiao remembered descriptions of the Green Vial in the novel and cursed aloud.
Despite cursing, intense excitement welled inside him; his hands trembled slightly. If truly that heaven-defying artifact, Tang Jinbiao had hit an astronomical jackpot. Seeking immortality from here? Child’s play!
“Should I open it… or not?”
After the excitement, Tang Jinbiao calmed down slightly. Staring at the Green Vial in hand, conflict tore at him. He desperately wanted to pop the cap immediately to check if it held the liquid to speed up herb growth. Yet feared opening it might reveal emptiness, or perhaps only ordinary medicine.
Sometimes a person overthinks, afraid of both losing and gaining.
Glug! Glug!
To ensure it wasn’t empty, he shook the vial. Miraculously, faint liquid splashing echoed from inside.
“Screw it, screw it. I refuse to believe I’m that lucky!”
After brief deliberation, he steeled himself—he had to look inside.
Tang Jinbiao took a deep breath, teeth clenched audibly. His left hand gripped the vial as if fearing it’d vanish. Trembling, his right reached slowly for the cap.
Pop!
A soft sound followed as the cap yielded with a gentle tug.
“Uhh…”
But after removing the cap, no spiritual essence greeted him. No soul-revitalizing scent either. Only pale green liquid swirled within—tinted by the vial? Or was it genuinely green?
“This… this isn’t how it was supposed to play out! The artifact was supposed to glow with otherworldly light!”
Tang Jinbiao stared despondently at the green liquid inside, convinced the vial was just ordinary.
“No way. I can’t let this be it!”
Refusing to accept failure, he scurried to a nearby tree and poured liquid onto its trunk.
“Big guy, show me you’ve got some steel! If you deliver, I’ll worship you tomorrow!”
Tang Jinbiao mumbled inwardly as he drizzled the mysterious green fluid onto the huge tree.
Glug! Glug!
The Jade Vial wasn’t large; soon a third of its contents was gone.
“Why no reaction?”
Deeming it sufficient, he resealed the vial. But the tree stood unmoved—no sudden transformation into a towering spiritual timber. Just a plain old tree.
“Right, right. Even Han Paopao needed till the next day for results. Ha! Time to head back, sleep it off, and see tomorrow. Oh yeah, time for my counterattack! My counterattack is here! Tremble, Mortals!”
Tang Jinbiao snapped to reason—even miraculous processes need time. Instantly cheered, he hid the vial in his robe and jogged back toward his house.
This night would pass excruciatingly slowly…