Chapter 349: Chapter 246 White Emperor’s Alliance
Zhang Ze had no idea that Bai Tao was looking for him with an "urn" in her hands.
He didn’t know that the senior in the urn had important secrets to share with him.
Like Lily, he had completely forgotten about discussing business.
At this moment, he was chatting with Brother Feng on a mountain peak.
Little Divine Peak.
This was the place where Zhang Ze first helped Lin Feng resolve an issue.
Back then, he had resolved the conflict between Lin Feng and Chen Qin, preventing Brother Feng from recklessly charging down the path of a gangster cultivating immortal arts.
However, when they met here again, the atmosphere was no longer the same as before.
These days, Lin Feng was preoccupied with his own matters, his heart’s entanglements becoming increasingly tight, leaving him somewhat desolate and weary.
As for Zhang Ze, he was still the same old cocky self as last year, unchanged in the slightest.
Brother Feng looked at this senior brother, with whom he got along well, suddenly feeling that even after a few hundred or thousand years, he would still look like this.
"Aren’t you going to ask me?" Lin Feng could obviously see Zhang Ze’s intention, but after Zhang Ze arrived, he just sat there accompanying him silently.
"You’re not talking, so how would I know what to say to you?" said Zhang Ze, still in his sage mode.
"What should I say?" asked Brother Feng.
"Just say whatever you feel like, whatever comes to mind," Zhang Ze replied.
Brother Feng looked at the distant sea of clouds, which was the same as last year, only there were many changes beneath it.
A tower had appeared there, and a city had grown beside it.
Gazing at the Jade Book Tower, Lin Feng fell into recollections.
"I remembered something from when I was a kid. Back then, I used to work odd jobs at a martial arts school. The dojo was large but the master’s skill was average.
"The master had a beautiful daughter; at least I thought so back then. Beautiful girls never lack suitors, and one day she declared that whoever was the strongest in the dojo, she would marry him.
"All those senior brothers got excited and immediately started sparring." Lin Feng paused to take a swig of wine.
"And were you part of the contest?" Zhang Ze asked.
"I was just a servant back then, so there was no way I could get involved. I just watched from the side, but then someone used me as a pawn in their plot, and in the end, I got dragged into the whole mess."
"And what happened after that?" Zhang Ze asked.
"I ended up beating up all of them, including the master’s top disciple."
"So did you marry the girl?" Zhang Ze’s sage mode momentarily retreated, and his gossip side emerged.
But Brother Feng shook his head.
"I beat the master’s daughter too."
Zhang Ze: "..."
One must admit, Brother Feng’s luck in surviving to this day is indeed extraordinary.
"Why on earth did you go around beating people?" Zhang Ze asked.
"I didn’t understand back then, just found it irritating. It was only after I left the dojo that I realized I simply couldn’t stand others being better than me, or plotting against me."
But why beat the girl...
While others are pure love warriors, are you just a pure warrior?
Never mind, that’s the essence of Brother Feng.
Zhang Ze held back the urge to retort and listened to Brother Feng continue his story.
Brother Feng’s stories mostly followed that pattern, all tinged with a peculiar sense of coincidence and destiny.
Many of these incidents largely involved Lin Feng in some way.
However, in the end, Brother Feng could always stand on the moral high ground and criticize others.
As for those he couldn’t criticize for the moment, it was because Lin Feng would often resort to a heavy-handed approach whenever a hero was needed to save a beauty.
He was not swayed by feminine wiles, maintaining his true Sigma man essence.
This would lead to confrontations with the beauty’s brothers, seniors, fathers, and uncles, returning to a fixed plot: Brother Feng leveling up by defeating the monsters and then reflecting on his gains and criticizing others once more.
Lin Feng rambled on until the sun began setting, finally speaking about events in the Jade Book Illusion Realm.
"I got scared back then..."
"Ahem." Zhang Ze cleared his throat to interrupt Lin Feng’s words. "Got it."
"What?" Lin Feng asked.
"I figured out what you’re afraid of," Zhang Ze said.
"Me?"
"You’re afraid of losing."
The alleged Outer Path encounters were simply surface matters; Lin Feng’s real fear was losing.
His stubborn personality made him walk alone. To lose meant falling into complete defeat.
He wasn’t competitive; he just couldn’t stand losing.
Lin Feng fell silent, and after a long pause, spoke, "Maybe. What should I do?"
Although his voice was disturbed, it seemed more relaxed.
"If you’re asking me, I can only tell you to treat every battle as your last, but don’t be afraid to lose," Zhang Ze threw up his hands, "But it probably won’t help."
"Not really," Brother Feng straightforwardly replied.
Zhang Ze sighed, "So go find your master, go to Li, your Sixth Elder. They’ve walked paths longer than ours; there are things they understand better than we do."
"But I might not be a good disciple," Brother Feng said awkwardly.
Looking back at his experiences over the years, he realized he wasn’t exactly upright.
Very not upright.
"But they are good masters. Besides, if every disciple were as obedient as me, what would be the need for masters? That’s the essence of a sect. When disciples have doubts, they should seek guidance from their masters."
With these words, Zhang Ze stood up, patted Lin Feng’s shoulder, and stretched lazily.
He formally exited his sage mode.
"I’m off," Zhang Ze said.
"Where’s Senior Brother going?" Lin Feng, having gained some understanding, looked up to ask.
As the sun was about to set, Zhang Ze stood in the glow, his face indistinct.
"To jump off a mountain. I’ve always wanted to try it but never had the chance. Now that I’m at the Golden Core stage and won’t fall to my death, might as well give it a go."
With that, he stepped down from the large boulder and jumped.
"Hey! Wait, Senior Brother..."
Lin Feng didn’t have time to warn Zhang Ze, who had already jumped down, only to be intercepted by a teleportation array halfway up the mountain and transported to the Hall of Reflection.
Lin Feng has been in the sect longer than Zhang Ze, so there are some things Brother Feng knows that Zhang Ze doesn’t.
Namely, that since Zhang Ze discovered Little Divine Peak, it has become a popular picnic spot for the disciples.
Especially this large blue stone, which has become a must-visit landmark.
Because many Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples come to join the fun, to prevent anyone from accidentally or intentionally jumping off the cliff, the elders have set up a circle of teleportation arrays halfway up the mountain.
As soon as someone is detected falling off, the array activates, transporting the jumper to the Hall of Reflection for a while as a warning.
....
In the wee hours.
Li kicked Zhang Ze out of the Hall of Reflection with his foot.
"Can’t you do something to make your master proud?" Li grumbled, feeling exasperated as he led Zhang Ze out of the Hall of Reflection.
"Since you said it, don’t regret it," Zhang Ze perked up at these words.
"Forget it, just be good," Li said, with hands behind his back, nagging Zhang Ze for a while before turning to leave.
Watching his master’s departing figure, Zhang Ze, once again alone, blew some cold wind at the entrance of the Hall of Reflection. Feeling like he had nothing to do, he decided to go back to find his Junior Sister.
His Junior Sister should have rested enough by now.
Ox at this age shouldn’t be sleeping, need to work hard without any slack.
However, when Zhang Ze hummed a tune and returned to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, he was stopped by someone.
Contrary to Zhang Ze’s light and happy mood, Bai Tao held an ’ash box’, her complexion pale and full of resentment.
She blocked Zhang Ze’s path.
"Zhang Ze~"
Not calling Zhang Ze as teacher, Bai Tao asked, with a drooping face, "Did you forget something?"
Staring at Bai Tao’s face for a while, Zhang Ze finally remembered the business and Bai Tao’s matter affected by the Jade Book Illusion Realm.
"Are you okay?" Zhang Ze asked.
"Of course, I’m not okay. Where have you been these days? Why couldn’t I reach you? Did you forget about the business matter? Where exactly are you?"
Bai Tao’s resentment was almost tangible; if her tail were longer, it would have furrowed by now.
"I was doing farm work, plowing, retreating, yes," Zhang Ze said earnestly.
"Cough, stop with the nonsense. Are you Zhang Ze?"
From within the ash box came the voice of a mysterious demon clan, and as she spoke, Bai Tao’s resentment seemed dispelled by some force.
"I am, and you are, Senior?"
Looking at this Senior dwelling in the small box, Zhang Ze curiously asked.
"Bai Tao, step up!" The ash box ordered.
On hearing this command, Bai Tao’s resentment returned, even the ash box couldn’t contain it.
Reluctantly, she looked around. Seeing no one around, she quickly whispered.
"This is... the one who traversed the Four Continents, wanders the vast seas, laments the heavens, hates having no handle, manages the Northern Territory’s small Rainbow Bridge morning market, king of kings in Zhendong Trading Company, the only third major manager, Wang Siwen."
Bai Tao said it all in one breath and lowered her head, wishing to find a crack to hide in.
It was too embarrassing.
Silence enveloped Thousand Mechanism Pavilion that night.
After an awkward silence, Zhang Ze spoke up, "I didn’t catch that, Bai Tao, could you say it again?"
After all, it’s a free comedy; it’d be a waste not to enjoy it.
Hearing this, Bai Tao nearly cried.
"Just teasing, so, Senior Wang, what brings you to this junior?"
"Let’s talk elsewhere, let’s go to your place called Fried Shide," the only third major manager inside the ash box, Senior Wang Siwen, said.
...
Upon entering Fried Shide, Zhang Ze saw Bai Tao’s oldest niece, Bai Wanjun, punching the fruit platter on the table.
Seeing Bai Tao with the ash box come in, followed by Zhang Ze, she immediately wiped her hands on the sofa, then sat upright, with Qi controlling the objects, called forth a notebook and pen, taking the posture of a notetaker.
She did not forget to mouth to Zhang Ze that their partnered Past Spring Breeze’s risque chain store had opened its first storefront.
Zhang Ze gave her a thumbs up.
After Bai Tao put the ash box behind the fruit platter and lit two candles, Zhang Ze sat down.
He overlooked Bai Tao’s somewhat disrespectful behavior towards the seniors and asked.
"Please, Senior, enlighten us."
Zhang Ze was quite relaxed, after all, seeing Senior Wang Siwen’s extremely long title, she certainly wasn’t a normal person.
From the first law of the demon race we know.
The less normal the demon race, the more normal they actually are.
So, this Sister Wang must be a nice person.
However, Sister Wang didn’t discuss business with Zhang Ze, instead she brought up another topic.
"You’re surely curious about this Holy Bone Box, and why I’m here!"
Zhang Ze, "..."
Honestly speaking, Zhang Ze wasn’t curious.
Demon clan’s actions are normal to him, whether she lives in the ash box or is conjured from the Divine Lamp, wouldn’t surprise him.
Nonetheless, to respect the senior, Zhang Ze politely followed the topic.
"Indeed."
"Have you heard of the White Emperor’s Alliance?" Sister Wang then asked another question.
"Yes, above Refining Void, demon cultivators should not enter East Continent, human cultivators should not enter Northern Territory," Zhang Ze replied.
Zhang Ze certainly has heard of this alliance, though he has always regarded it as symbolic more than practical.
After reaching the Refining Void level of cultivation, only one’s morality and cultivators of higher levels could restrain them. Most of the time, they go wherever they like.
Sister Wang inside the ash box caught Zhang Ze’s point.
"This isn’t an idle talk, but a rule requiring strict enforcement."
"Why?" Zhang Ze asked.
"You must have seen the past demon clan in the Jade Book Illusion Realm, that’s one of the reasons..."
Sitting to the side, Bai Tao’s eyes suddenly turned somewhat melancholic.