Chapter 99: Textbook Tsundere!
Chapter 99: Textbook Tsundere!
In the dead of night, Tang Jinbiao wasn’t sleepy at all. Bound by ropes formed of spiritual energy, he lay in a corner of the room.
“Piu! Piu! Piu!”
Tang Jinbiao struggled to sit up. Making the sounds with his mouth, he addressed Tang Yilin, who wasn’t far away.
“Hmm?”
Tang Yilin had been sitting cross-legged on the bed, appearing deep in meditation. But noticing Tang Jinbiao’s unusual movement, her fine brows wrinkled slightly.
“Hey…”
Observing that Tang Yilin showed no reaction, Tang Jinbiao called to her in a soft voice.
Tang Yilin remained seated there, ignoring him.
“Beauty, are you asleep?”
Tang Jinbiao asked a very idiotic question.
Tang Yilin still ignored him.
“Goddess, what are you doing?”
Tang Jinbiao asked an even more idiotic question.
The fist Tang Yilin had hidden within her sleeve involuntarily clenched; she was finding it hard to endure this fool Tang Jinbiao.
“Wi… fe…”
Discovering that Tang Yilin was pretending to be dead to the world, Tang Jinbiao tried uttering that forbidden word!
Glare!
However, the moment Tang Jinbiao started speaking, Tang Yilin’s eyes snapped open, a killing gaze radiating from them.
“Not good!”
Tang Jinbiao’s mind screamed of danger. But recovering quickly, he put on a pleading expression and dragged his next words out slowly: “Gr… an… ny… would you… be so kind… as to… give… me… a bowl of water?”
As he spoke, Tang Jinbiao kept incessantly blinking his eyes.
“Pfft!”
Hearing Tang Jinbiao hurriedly correct himself and seeing that pitiable expression, Tang Yilin couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
Tang Yilin was naturally very beautiful. Now, in her great mood, her laughter made her seem lovely enough to outshine the moon and put flowers to shame.
“So beautiful!”
Seeing that expression on Tang Yilin’s face, Tang Jinbiao was momentarily stunned dumb.
“Hmph, even at a time like this, you’re not behaving. What do you want?”
But then Tang Yilin suddenly realized something was off and immediately hid her smile, a frosty expression forming on her face as she questioned him coldly.
“Hehe, nothing, nothing. Just checking if you were asleep?”
Tang Jinbiao said with a playful, teasing grin on his face.
“Hmph, utterly unstudied! After reaching the Foundation Building stage, cultivators no longer need to sleep; meditation is sufficient to restore their stamina. It seems you know nothing at all? You probably don’t even know the various ranks of cultivators, do you? Or how vast the Divine Wind Continent is? Hehe!”
Tang Yilin’s eyes showed disgust as she spoke, especially towards the end, where she outright began a cold laugh.
“Heh…”
Tang Jinbiao was rendered speechless.
He’d merely said one sentence—how was that being unlearned? He felt utterly wronged. Hearing that cold laugh sent a chill down his spine.
Somewhat resentfully, Tang Jinbiao declared, “Ha! Who says I don’t know? For Cultivators, the ranks are Qi Condensation, Foundation Building, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Soul Refinement, and Tribulation Transcendence. Body Refiners are much simpler: First Tier, Second Tier, Third Tier, Fourth Tier, Fifth Tier, and Sixth Tier! Each tier is distinct. The First Tier focuses on tendons and bones; the Second Tier emphasizes flesh and skin; the Third Tier enables Petrification of the body! By the Fourth Tier, a Qi Sea forms, granting flight and earth-dodging! The Fifth Tier refines bones and blood, achieving true rebirth! The Sixth Tier shatters the void! And crossing into the Seventh Tier ascends amidst tribulation! Hmph! These child’s play questions—how could I, Brother Biao the Great Demon King, Brother Biao, not know such idiocy?”
Tang Jinbiao spoke torrentially, extremely pleased with himself. Of course, he’d only read all of this recently.
“Hmph! So what if you know? You’re merely a First Rank, Intermediate Grade Body Refiner! What use is knowing? You certainly don’t grasp the customs or geography of the Divine Wind Continent?”
Taken aback momentarily by Tang Jinbiao’s recitation, Tang Yilin soon snorted dismissively.
“This…”
Admittedly, Tang Jinbiao wasn’t clear on the Divine Wind Continent’s customs or regions. He’d only overheard Tang Hu mention bits—his face fell.
They resided in the Divine Wind Continent’s Wuzhou, with talk of a Clear Autumn Holy Land. Things like Four Great Families, Three Great Sects, Two Great Schools, one Holy Land, one Academy—he hadn’t paid much mind to such messy details.
“Haha! A pig remains a pig! Not even knowing common sense—how have you survived this far? Go die already! Commit suicide! Spare me the annoyance of seeing your face daily—disgusting! Hmph! I absolutely won’t tell you!”
Seeing Tang Jinbiao’s discomfited expression, Tang Yilin couldn’t help letting out a light laugh.
“Fine! Don’t speak it then!”
Mocked, Tang Jinbiao had no retort.
Yet just as he yielded, Tang Yilin raised her chin proudly and declared, “Hmph! I certainly won’t tell you! The Divine Wind Continent spans millions of miles—a vastness Mortals can’t fathom! It holds seven provinces. The east has Wuzhou; the north, the Northern Domain; the west, the Western Desert; the south, the Southern Sea; and central Suzhou! Though Suzhou later split into three zones: the Hundred Thousand Mountains, the Land of Darkness, and modern Suzhou! Forget the continent’s size—tiny Wuzhou in the east alone spans thousands of miles! And Wuzhou is the smallest territory, merely 1% to 2% of the Divine Wind Continent! As for why it’s called Wuzhou… that’s ancient history…”
Is this textbook tsundere behavior? Tang Jinbiao couldn’t help thinking.
Despite claiming she wouldn’t speak, Tang Yilin prattled on about the Divine Wind Continent’s geography and customs.
…
Originally vast with just five provinces—east, south, west, north, and center—the Divine Wind Continent saw its central Suzhou later fracture into three: modern Suzhou, the Hundred Thousand Mountains, and the Land of Darkness.
As Tang Hu had said, Suzhou indeed hosted Four Families, Three Sects, Two Schools, One Holy Land, and One Academy.
The Four Families were Feng, Tang, Chu, and Wei. The Three Sects: Spirit Dao Sect, Sword Flight Sect, Maple Leaf Sect. North-South school divisions arose due to the Hundred Thousand Mountains. The Holy Land and Academy naturally were Clear Autumn Holy Land and Divine Wind Academy—all renowned across the Divine Wind Continent. Counting minor factions? Countless!
Eons ago, central Suzhou lacked the Hundred Thousand Mountains and Land of Darkness. Those mountains plummeted from the sky ten thousand years ago, sundering Suzhou north from south. The Land of Darkness emerged merely a thousand years prior—compact at roughly a hundred miles across. Tang Yilin couldn’t explain its nature, only calling it a black zone… a realm of death.
Though dense with factions, Suzhou wasn’t vast—just a tenth of the Divine Wind Continent. Worse, half its land was uninhabitable due to the mountains and darkness. Yet the Hundred Thousand Mountains teemed with Demon Beasts, rumored to host beings as powerful as Tribulation Transcendents. Few dared hunting deep inside.
Divine Wind Academy perched on the mountains’ eastern fringe. Opposite lay Clear Autumn Holy Land.
Separated by peaks, they held opposing energies like water and fire. Yet Clear Autumn’s mostly female disciples shunned conflict, ensuring peace. Instead, factions north and south brawled endlessly over the mountains’ resources.
Thus Suzhou, though small, stood as the most intricate region!
Meanwhile, the Northern Domain and Western Desert sprawled boundlessly—occupying 40-50% of the continent.
The cold-swept Northern Domain nurtured little love for cultivation, instead embracing martial strength. Nearly all capable practiced Body Refining—yielding burly builds and rugged temperaments. Unlike Suzhou, the Northern Domain’s power structure was simple: solely the Wu Family. Unrivaled, their might matched Clear Autumn Holy Land and Divine Wind Academy. Wu boasted countless Fourth Tier (Nascent Soul-equivalent) Body Refiners, dozens at Fifth Tier (Soul Refinement-equivalent), and even three Sixth Tier (Tribulation Transcendency-equivalent) masters! Rumor spoke of a Seventh Tier patriarch evading the Heavenly Dao’s notice to delay ascension. Dominance? Expected!
The Western Desert… harsh, arid, resource-poor. Few inhabitants, few formidable factions. Yet beneath that deathly sand? Uncounted treasures! Many Cultivators hunted its buried riches.
The Southern Sea? Endless marshes and primordial forest—blanketed year-round by deadly miasma. Unlivable for Mortals, low-tier Cultivators or Body Refiners. Truly… uninhabited. Yet its jungles crawled with beasts and Demon Beasts. Why call it “Southern Sea”? From afar its miasma resembled ocean haze. Fly south long enough and one would reach the Boundless Sea. Not the “Southern Sea,” though.
Then Wuzhou? An anomaly. Tiny—just 1%-2% of the continent. Sparse populace, unexceptional Cultivators. Yet across eons, endured. Tang Yilin couldn’t explain why—by rights, its scale merited a “province” no more than a decent faction in Suzhou.
Wuzhou was simpler than Suzhou but far from basic. Minor factions abounded. Notable powers? Only Tang Family and Corpse Dao Sect.
Generations of Tang ancestors carved Wuzhou’s foothold—persistence proved the Tang Family’s mettle. But recently decline beckoned. Watched… coveted.
And the Corpse Dao Sect? Tang Yilin deemed its unorthodox path distasteful—unworthy of mention.
…
“… Whew! Regardless! At our test, we Tang must excel! Never disgrace our name! Got it? Understood?”
Tang Yilin paused—having spoken nearly the length of a meal. Tang Jinbiao understood the Divine Wind Continent… vaguely.
“I…”
Tang Jinbiao stared at Tang Yilin complexly. She’d vowed silence, yet dumped this torrent.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
Tang Yilin tilted her head, puzzled.
“Well… I suddenly think. Do you love me? Saying you wouldn’t speak… and then unloading this ocean?”
Tang Jinbiao sighed helplessly.
“What?”
Blushing instantly, Tang Yilin spat out denial. “Pah! I didn’t explain for you! Done chatting! Time to meditate!”
Truly textbook tsundere… Tang Jinbiao mentally groaned as Tang Yilin flustered away.