Chapter 108: Zhang Tianyi
Chapter 108: Zhang Tianyi
“Hehe, little brother, don’t be afraid. I’m not a bad person, absolutely not!”
The sixty-something-year-old man with a shady appearance slowly walked towards Tang Jinbiao. Afraid of a misunderstanding spreading over Tang Jinbiao’s face as he spoke.
As his eyes were already diminutive, his smile scrunched them even further into thin slits, accentuating his untrustworthy appearance.
“Who are you?” Tang Jinbiao had felt inexplicably panicked the moment he saw this man. Despite the old man emanating pressure only akin to the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation, Tang Jinbiao sensed extreme danger. He unconsciously took a few steps back as he asked.
“Aiyo, little brother, didn’t I say you shouldn’t worry? I’m not a bad person, truly not! After all, we’re both wolf friends—ahem—comrades who peeked—pah! No, I meant appreciated that Chu Yunyun bathing together. We’re definitely in the same boat now, so don’t be so standoffish!” Seeing Tang Jinbiao’s wariness, the shady grin remained plastered on the old man’s face, those small eyes nearly vanishing into thin slits as he swiftly explained himself.
“I…” Hearing this, Tang Jinbiao was rendered speechless. He secretly complained inwardly, Alright, alright, I get it. I’m being punished again for peeking at women bathing!
“Hehe, see, little brother? I told you I’m not a bad guy! So, what about that woman just now? How many points would you give her?” Noticing Tang Jinbiao’s stunned silence, a faint gleam appeared in the old man’s narrow eyes as he continued.
“Who are you? Why were you spying on that woman bathing?” Due to the urgency of the previous situation, Tang Jinbiao hadn’t had time to scrutinize the woman’s looks closely. He only had a rough impression.
“Hehe, little brother, no need to phrase it so harshly! Who I am isn’t important. What matters is how many points you’d give that girl back there? And don’t sully my artistic pursuit with words like ‘spying’. Appreciating beauty is a universal urge! Seeing that woman in the full bloom of youth stirred in me a desire to admire nature’s creation! Merely observing her bath is hardly scandalous! Why be so formal? Besides, you watched too! You should be asking yourself: by what right can you judge me? Honestly! Even if you hadn’t seen anything, broad daylight it was! How can you call my observation ‘spying’? ‘Spy’ suggests sneaking about like a criminal – do I look like that? Clearly not! Although I’m somewhat advanced in years, not exactly dashingly handsome, I’m still robust for my age, no? Aiyo! Little brother! Just answer me! How many points for the woman?” Upon hearing Tang Jinbiao’s words, the old man seemed distinctly offended. He immediately launched into a torrential defense of his actions.
“I…” Tang Jinbiao remained tongue-tied.
However, his mind kicked into frantic complaint mode, Holy shit! What the hell is going on?! Did that one teleportation conjure demons? First, I inexplicably witness that world, then somehow crawl out of the legendary Land of Darkness! Then I stumble upon some bizarre race! And now, arriving here, I run into an old pervert?!
Indeed, Tang Jinbiao’s journey to report at the Divine Wind Academy had been fraught with unexpected turns. He’d lost track of how much time had actually passed, but he harbored a strong feeling it must have been two or three years. Otherwise, why would his hair have grown so long upon waking earlier? And his once boyish face had matured noticeably, sporting a faint stubble. He now resembled a young man in his early twenties.
“Hehe, little brother, speak your verdict! If it aligns with my own assessment, we might even become friends, eh?” The old man persisted, his perpetually sly grin firmly in place.
“Three points. Three points is it. Can’t possibly go higher!” Annoyed by the old man’s incessant chatter, Tang Jinbiao reluctantly extended three fingers as he spoke.
“What?! Three points?!” Seeing Tang Jinbiao award such a low score, the old man was slightly taken aback, appearing to question Tang Jinbiao’s taste or discernment.
“Hmph, only three points! Take it or leave it!” Unable to gauge the depth of this old man and still feeling that unnerving palpitation, Tang Jinbiao had no desire to prolong the exchange. He tossed the words out while slowly retreating, clearly intending to leave.
“Three points? Merely three?” Seeing Tang Jinbiao’s confirmation, the old man furrowed his brow, lost in reluctant contemplation. Hwua!
Seizing the moment the old man seemed distracted, Tang Jinbiao spotted his chance to flee and acted instantly. Without a second thought, he leaped vigorously into the dense forest, turning into a fleeting dark shadow that disappeared into the thick woods after just a few flickering movements.
“Three points… Three points… How did that kid arrive at only three points? It doesn’t make sense! While her face might be ordinary, that figure had substance! She must clear at least five points! No, I absolutely must hunt him down and clarify his reasoning!”
The old man seemed utterly baffled as to why Tang Jinbiao only gave him three points, his face twisting in agony.
“Huh? Ran off?”
But when he looked up and realized Tang Jinbiao’s figure had vanished, he froze momentarily. Then, a cold smile formed at the corner of his mouth as he chuckled, “Hehe, there’s no escaping, kid. How could I possibly let you leave today without explaining yourself clearly to this old man first?”
Whoosh!
With a sinister laugh, the old man transformed into a gray shadow, instantly giving chase in Tang Jinbiao’s direction.
…
Tang Jinbiao continued sprinting wildly through the Dense Forest.
“What the heck is going on? Why do I run into weirdos every single day? That guy is definitely the same type as Huang Biaozi!”
Tang Jinbiao raced through the forest, unable to suppress the complaints swirling in his mind.
Seriously, what kind of person does that?
Clearly peeping at a woman bathing, yet calling it “appreciation.” And he made it sound so plausible! Even with his typically thick nerves, Tang Jinbiao couldn’t so readily accept the existence of someone so bizarre.
“Huh? Wait…”
Panting and cursing internally, Tang Jinbiao suddenly remembered something and came to an abrupt halt. A thought flashed through his mind: “That’s strange. That guy was clearly right beside me, so why didn’t that woman notice him? And it was obviously that old man who perved first, so why did she only come after me? Could it be… she genuinely couldn’t see the old man?”
Once this thought entered his head, Tang Jinbiao felt an involuntary shiver ripple through his body, despite the broad daylight. Was he able to see something… different?
“Haha, impossible. Impossible. I’m definitely overthinking this. Yep, absolutely overthinking it. Right now, I should just find a place to rest and recuperate!”
Shaking his head, Tang Jinbiao resumed walking while trying to reassure himself.
Whoosh!
Just then, an inexplicably chilly wind blew past him. Tang Jinbiao shuddered, feeling a profound cold seep into his bones.
“Achoo!”
Despite being a Body Refiner, Tang Jinbiao actually sneezed, almost as if catching a cold. “Could I actually be getting sick?” he thought incredulously.
“Hehehe!”
His thought was interrupted by a low, sinister chuckle right in front of him and not far away.
Chatter-chatter!
The laughter made every hair on Tang Jinbiao’s body stand on end, his teeth audibly chattering as his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
“Haha, hey there, little brother, why so nervous? We agreed to be wolf friends. Isn’t it rude to vanish without even saying goodbye?”
Appearing before him was none other than that same lewd-looking old man.
“I…”
Tang Jinbiao was speechless, but fear overwhelmed his confusion. If he hadn’t suspected he might be seeing something out of the ordinary, he wouldn’t even be questioning whether this old man was human.
“What’s wrong, little brother? Don’t look at me like that. I’m not a bad person, really!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao’s terror-filled eyes, the old man immediately tried to explain.
“You… you… you…” Tang Jinbiao stammered, his voice tight. “Are you human… or a phantom?”
The question felt incredibly foolish, but Tang Jinbiao couldn’t stop himself from blurting it out.
“Huh? You discovered me? That can’t be?”
After hearing these words, the old man froze for a moment, but immediately understood. He thought to himself, “Well, him seeing me proves it already. Why should I be surprised?”
“E…E…Elder, are you really a ghost?”
Tang Jinbiao took a few steps back, as if he had discovered something he shouldn’t have.
“Hehe, now that it’s come to this, no matter how much I hide it, it’s pointless. I suppose I have no choice but…”
The old man chuckled lowly, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth, his expression one of someone about to silence a witness.
Thump!
Tang Jinbiao felt his legs go weak. Yet, he didn’t run. He remained standing there, stock still.
“Hehe!”
By this point, the old man ceased hiding. Instead, his body lifted off the ground and floated towards Tang Jinbiao like a specter, an eerie smile playing on his lips.
“…”
Tang Jinbiao’s mind went blank. He desperately wanted to flee, but his legs refused to obey.
“Hehe, lad, prepare yourself!”
The old man drifted slowly towards Tang Jinbiao, circling around him up and down, bobbing continuously, truly like a ghost.
“E…E…Elder, I…We… no… no p…past enim…mity… and no r…re…recent grudges…”
Tang Jinbiao stammered, his voice trembling as he spoke.
“Hehe!”
The old man kept that strange smile on his face, frightening Tang Jinbiao continuously.
“Cough, so boring. Fine, I’ll let you off, kid!”
However, seeing Tang Jinbiao thoroughly terrified seemed to bore the old man. He drifted back down to the ground and sighed as he spoke.
“Cough, boring, so boring! I might as well go take a look at that Clear Autumn Holy Land. Seems like the realm’s beauties still come from Clear Autumn!”
The old man seemed to have lost interest in Tang Jinbiao, a pensive look crossing his face. Then, he transformed once more into a wisp of pale light and shot fiercely towards the west.
“Kid, I am Zhang Tianyi. Should chance permit, seek me out at the Divine Wind Academy. I’ll transmit a Secret Art to you!”
But just as the old man’s figure vanished into the distance, a voice suddenly resounded within Tang Jinbiao’s mind.
Thud!
After the old man floated away, Tang Jinbiao, so terrified that his legs were completely numb, collapsed with a thud, landing squarely on his backside…