Chương 300: Silent Sage (III)

We became kind of like celebrities following the kids' cute little performance on the lake--everywhere we went, people recognized us, and just based on 3-4 rumors I've heard, they seem to think we're some kind of an Ancient Clan that has come out to the surface.... kind of the same story we told a certain chatterbox, which leads me to believe he's the man behind the rumors. I think he thinks he's genuinely helping us, but if I knew where the bastard went, I'd run him down and beat him with a spoon.

Thanks to that, I rarely left the house for the next few days, while the kids kept going out, bringing more and more shit on the daily. Within a week, I had enough ore to build a house, let alone a few weapons, while I kept offloading all herbs onto Lao Shun, who kept concocting newer and newer pills, or helping Rayce create a better kind of paper, which led to even more Words being written, which-- --it was all just a big, cyclic spiral of success.

Though I was happy, as the kids were having fun, I also knew we pretty much won't be able to avoid getting tangled up with the Sage, probably even sooner than I'd want. I couldn't even begin to tell where that jackass Long Tao was, as he'd only show up around dinnertime and promptly disappear for the rest of the day and night. The only people who consistently stayed inside the house were Rayce, Xing Feng, and me. Even Lao Shun took off a few times, wanting to test his luck in the lake.

Also, I'm pretty sure I'm being haunted. Why? Because I keep finding random crap next to my bed every morning. And it all looks old. They're not treasures, not really--I mean, they would be if this was back on Earth, as all these things looked to be about 200, 000 years old, but beyond their age, there wasn't anything impressive about them. I once even stayed up alert, keeping up my Divine Sense up all night long, and sensed nothing--yet there was a wooden, weathered spoon next to me come morning.

Since the old woman wasn't reacting, and even Long Tao wasn't saying anything, I'm pretty sure neither are aware. Which leads me to my conclusion: I'm being haunted. By what? I had a guess. But I kept it so deep down in my soul, as I felt acknowledging it would ripple out like a sonic wave throughout my body, rendering me catatonic. As such, I just took the gifts and kept silent, wondering if it would get bored and leave me alone. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Master," Xing Feng came up to me just before breakfast.

"I, I want to go to the lake, too, with Brothers and Sisters..." He was squirming in place, avoiding my eyes.

"I--I won't go in, I promise! I, I'll just stay on the side and watch!" he added after I fell silent. Just then, Rayce appeared as though he were listening (because he was).

"How about I take him? I want to see what it's like, too."

"Very well," I nodded. These two weren't exactly known, especially Rayce, so it shouldn't be that bad.

"Stay safe, and don't take anything anyone gives you."

"Yes, Master!" As the two were leaving, I could hear Xing Feng's voice softly echo out.

"Thank you, Brother Rayce! I, I'll buy you candy! Sister Xiu bought me one yesterday, and it was really tasty!"

"Really? Can I choose which one?"

"Of course!"

"We can buy two, then. One for you and one for me."

"Yaay!" I smiled faintly and shook my head before retreating to the central quarters, where I realized I wasn't alone--the old woman was here, too. She seemed a bit surprised to see me, too, and seeing as I'm physically incapable of silence, despite knowing she couldn't understand me...

"Hello. How are you doing? The kids all went to the lake today, some to treasure hunt and some to sightsee. Am I bothering you? I can leave, too--but I don't know if you know, I get accosted all the time. They keep asking me which clan I'm from and what training methods I used on the kids... aah, it's terrible! I wouldn't mind if they were simply chatty, but they try to drag me into this shop or the next, or they keep trying to sell me 'heavenly pills that will take my disciples to the next level'.

Do I look like I'm four years old? Or a moron? Or like I had an anvil dropped on my head when I was a baby?"

"Pfft."

"Hm?" No. No, no, no, no. It was minute, as in closer to a fly buzzing a hundred yards from me than a snort, but I heard it... because it ripped like thunder in my ears. My entire body froze up, and all I could do was stare at her with my jaw agape.

"Oh, relax," she spoke, very much in the language I spoke, too.

"It's not the end of the world."

"..."

"Let me make something I used to make my grandson when he was feeling anxious," she said.

"All while you tell me more about how they think you look the part of a moron." wow. It's really true, I suppose, that I ought to keep an eye out on old people in this world, as those not cunning enough just straight up die young. It's on me, to be fair; why did I, even for the remotest second, think that a woman that's almost 1700 years old wouldn't have simply learned more than one language? Shit, I knew like two and a half languages back on Earth, and I didn't even make it to half of a century. Hey.

Maybe I really am a moron? Nonetheless, I followed her into the kitchen, where I saw her tearing apart a mango-like fruit as the juices spilled out into the bowl below.

"That Art you gave me," she said.

"It really did help my Heart."

"Oh. That's, that's good."

"Was it true?"

"What?"

"That you can discern when someone has trouble with their Heart?" She eyed me sideways, likely using some art or another to see whether I was lying--but, thank God, I really wasn't. System is a part of me, so, in kind of a way, I do have that ability.

"Yes, yes, it was," I nodded.

"My first Disciple, the one that shows up to dinner and then disappears like a ghost, I noticed it with him for the first time."

"Hm. Truth be told, I've developed an eye for Heart-issues myself," she said.

"And that Disciple of yours... whatever it is, even I want to run from it." Well, yeah. Even to this day, Heart-Poison Curse remains with the exact same wording it did on the first day I met him: [Heart-Poison Curse (???) -- the curse from his past life persists, making it seem as though he is a waste without talents] Over a year with him constantly practicing it, and improving his own cultivation in ways I couldn't even fathom... and nothing's changed. It begged the question: just what in God's name even was it?