Daily life of a cultivation judge-Chapter 971: True chameleons (2)
Considering the cultivation realm of the assassin at the time, even if he likely had a technique to handle the ashes without falling victim himself, the grade of that moth was likely to be one that was at the core formation realm. Any higher, and despite the measures the assassin had, the ashes would have likely turned on him.
As such based on the grade, while it was still just as lethal to a quasi-palace realm cultivator, it was perceptible to them.... under normal conditions. Luckily for that assassin, his target wasn’t in a normal condition. The target was in deep seclusion, his entire concentration focused on combing through his cultivation so he could take that final step.
Cultivators were at their most vulnerable when they were about to break through. This was why most either had a protector next to them or surrounded themselves with protection arrays. That sect master had elected for the latter which proved to be his undoing because the arrays, not unless it was a blue tier one going up, were useless against it.
That assassin pumped the ashes of soul dispersing phoenix moth bit by bit for three years. Eventually, that sect master detected it, but by that time it was already too late. It had already seeped into his soul enough to be a real threat to his life. Though his cultivation base prevented instant death, it didn’t guarantee survival beyond a few minutes.
Left with no choice, he triggered his tribulation despite not being prepared fully. It was his only play. He hoped to borrow the tribulation to rid himself of the ashes. The ashes of the soul dispersing phoenix moth were the true depiction of disaster and fortune.
Like normal moths to a flame, they were drawn to souls, and the more powerful it was, the deeper the attraction, but the problem was if the soul being targeted was powerful to a certain degree more than the soul dispersing phoenix moth targeting them, then that soul could consume those ashes and eggs and refine them into energy that had amazing effects on the soul.
It was always a battle of who would be nutrition for who, and that sect master looked to break through to the palace realm so those odds would roll in his favor.
His gamble didn’t pay off and he failed his tribulation. All around the sect thought he had failed it due to natural means with all the trace of the ash vaporized by the tribulation.
The sect fragmented immediately after as various factions rose from the death of their sect master, with each faction trying to claim the seat. It went through a cycle of leaders and eventually, it got unstable and was swallowed up by its enemy. The assassin disappeared in that chaos.
The reason Yang Qing knew about him was because he was in the Order’s custody, and during his time as a fourth-year student at the Institute he got introduced to that assassin in their life-and-death duel and he was every bit deserving of his reputation. He wasn’t overly strong but he was versatile and extremely skilled with the arsenal he had, and highly adaptable.
Assassins were like that and it was even more so for Han Lei. This was someone who had managed to outfox the very people who wrote the book on outfoxing. It was childsplay for someone like him to completely restrain his entire aura to the point that one would think he had never claimed a single life.
His ability to restrain the stench of death and slaughter on him was refined to the point of fooling the natural sense of a fresh monarch-grade spirit like Luo Suyun. If he could fool skilled assassins, fooling a newly formed spirit like Luo Suyun was nothing to him.
To Luo Suyun, he was just another middle-aged man with a palace realm cultivation base. While one would wonder why a middle-aged man with zero slaughter and death aura was imprisoned in a place like the Requiem, Luo Suyun didn’t seem the type to care about it. To her, as long as that stench wasn’t there, she couldn’t care less.
With his attention on the duo, Yang Qing made his proposal.
"Luo Suyun there is something I would like you to do for me," Yang Qing said to the weapon spirit.
"Sure. I owe you for the tea. Do you want me to kill that snake that just left?" Luo Suyun asked with an innocent look despite talking about murder.
"No, not that," Yang Qing said as he coughed slightly.
"I need you to carry someone for me and bring him to a certain location at certain days in a week. You will bring him there and back. That is all. You think you can do it?"
Luo Suyun held her chin in slight contemplation before she answered.
"I can but... Other than Gentle rock kingdom, I don’t know any other place.."
She lowered her head slightly her embarrassment at the fact showing.
"Don’t worry, that is where Han Lei comes in. He knows most places, and he will go with you there for the first week, then after that, if you’re comfortable you can go by yourself."
Luo Suyun looked up looking relieved.
"I will be in your care," Luo Suyun as she cupped her fist toward Han Lei who responded in kind as he said.
"It will be my pleasure,"
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"So who are we bringing? Another tree?" Luo Suyun asked as her eyes sparkled with eagerness. Yang Qing almost spit out the wine he had just sipped.
"Tree, still? What is with the obsession."
"No, it is not another tree, it’s a friend. Though they do have a nice tree there just like the sakura tree. I wonder if its awake," murmured Yang Qing as a certain image flashed in his mind.
It went without saying that for the next few minutes, Luo Suyun pestered him about said tree, which Yang Qing helplessly provided the details before she was fully satisfied. He also emphasized a few things, such as her not killing anyone during the journey not unless her life was in danger.
Han Lei’s real purpose was to prevent that outcome. It was to monitor her and restrain her just in case.
He was underutilizing the assassin considering his skills, but Yang Qing couldn’t risk it. If Luo Suyun proved herself capable and without incident, then maybe he could reassign Han Lei, especially when he considered the few matters that needed the analytical and investigative skills of a veteran assassin.
He exchanged a few words with them before giving them two jade slips that had the same incantation as the slip handed to Zhu Qing.
He left them to refine it and went to find Gao Wei and personally left with him and they made their way to the Medical Valley where the arrangements had been made for him to work in one of the pavilions.
Whilst there, he also made a point of informing Deputy Valley Master Ren Shu of the weird reaction his physique had toward Gao Wei, and his suspicions that his art may have ties to the weird fern they found planted all around the Medical Valley. He left the investigations to Ren Shu and the rest as they were better suited for it.
With everything handled, Yang Qing was well on his way to check in on Ma Ling but his plans were changed when he got a notice that there was a walk-in case.
