《Re:Direction The Peak (Cultivation Tale)》CH. 315
Advertisement
He did not need to ponder much further about it. This woman seemed genuinely interested in the martial arts and nothing more. From the very start, while she had been clumsy, she did not show any harmful intents to him. This was what mattered the most.
Also, even if he refused her, she might not let him.
She was stronger than him after all. It was better to take a decent deal rather than push his luck and end up with nothing.
They chatted a bit more and settled on a fair deal.
As they were finishing their meal and resting in the tavern, drinking some Frone, she asked him: "Shouldn't we try to get more distance from her?"
Jin shook his head sideways indicating that there were no reasons to. Seeing her peculiar look, he stated: "She won't come after us. If she wanted one of us dead, with her superior strength to you, she would not have needed to wait. The fact that she introduced herself as a mortal means that she wanted to observe us. Well, it's only a possibility"
Ame nodded as she understood the point. She was far from stupid. She quickly comprehended that the woman acted in such a way to get closer to them while unnoticed. Basically, she was spying. She was probably planning to get closer to them but while hiding her true identity.
The Church would not have done such a thing. They did not need to bother with something so time-wasting. It was not their style. Which meant that this woman was after him. And it meant that he had great importance to someone powerful for such a strong cultivator to be spent.
Now the question was whether they tried to monitor him with ill or good intents.
Was he being secretly protected? Like a powerful or wealthy young master?
Advertisement
Or was he being hunted? But they refrained from acting because what he owned could not be stolen... Like a technique? His weird mystical arts that he displayed during those nights maybe? Or something else entirely?
In any case, she grasped the hidden meaning that he was being 'monitored'.
She looked at him with curiosity.
Jin did not mind. Whatever she thought would never be close to the reality. The truth was too far-fetched that it would seem to be a lie.
On the other hand, he wondered whether the woman would go after them. Since he ran away like that... If she wanted to continue monitoring him, she would probably not follow him. If she followed him, she would have to give up her 'secret' identity as a mortal. Though there were no reasons for her to keep this shit up unless she had a wild imagination or believed that he did not see through her disguise.
Those were actual possibilities.
In fact, they were the most likely ones.
If she really was an agent of the Cartel, she would be someone with ability. Hence, she would also have pride. And he certainly did not show any signs of having discovered her.
In such a case, he would meet her again at the capital.
If she pursued them... Either she was from the Church and he would ditch Ame in a second or she was going to stop pretending and simply monitor him in the open.
If she decided to monitor him in the open...He would be fucked. This would be the worst-case scenario. It was possible to manipulate someone that stayed at a distance but to mislead someone that stood next to you at all times? Harder! Tougher! Difficult!
In any case, it was unlikely, in his opinion, that she would chase.
Advertisement
It was also possible that he completely overthought the situation. Maybe she was a mortal. And maybe she was hiding her cultivation for completely different reasons and had nothing to do with them.
He would know after reaching the capital.
As for Ame...In all honesty, he did not need any protection. That woman might bring more troubles than anything else in fact. But he saw the future worth she could bring him.
Jin's goal was to settle down with a job at the castle. Being backed-up by a powerful force while remaining low-key. And this woman was without a doubt going to show her abilities to get a very high-rank over there. If he could get her to back him once they began to work there... His position would be more stable and there would be more leeway for him to make some moves.
He would teach her his mortal arts with sincerity and try his best to forge a decent relationship with her. She would be his coworker/boss and it would be useful to be in her good books.
By the time they reached the capital, he believed he would have managed to make her consider him a friend.
...
Meanwhile, the caravan departed with two less people than before. The head merchant waited for some time and even sent a few parties to search for the two to no avail. In the end, he could not delay for every second mattered to a businessman.
He gave up the search and decided to move.
The caravan left.
Within the carriage that Jin once had been, there were only two people now. A big guy and a young beauty. The big guy sighed as he said: "I wonder why they left like that?"
The woman tried her best to keep her composure and not shred her disguise as she answered: "Yes...I'm worried that something happened to them"
The big guy nodded and stated: "We haven't none each other for long but they were cultivators with decent personalities. I would have liked to get more acquainted with them"
She faked surprise as she inquired: "Cultivators? They were both-..."
Advertisement
Everyone Else Is A Returnee
Yu Illhan was always the one left behind. Left out of cliques in school. Left out of social invitations. Just…always left out. Except now he’s been left behind for real.
8 1443World Story: Biographies of Extraordinary People
Important note: I’d like to thank Dr. Buller for their advice on dialogue by their critical review. And I’m on a one-month break to post the first revised chapters on Scribble Hub. Please stay tuned! Even in faraway worlds, every folk had a story, and monsters came in numerous shapes and sizes. However, heroes never existed in this otherworld. Even the most idealistic understood this deep within. But as they abandoned their humanity at times, they quickly regained it. It was not that they became human again. They always were. So what happened when the monster devoid of humanity appeared? Well, the “heroes” sought to slay it at all costs either way, lest it would be the end of their stories. A portal/isekai fantasy that I wanted to deconstruct some elements within. Expect a whole ton of references and dialogue because I’ll deliberately write it more like a light novel. The last thing to consider is that Japanese names in my novel will come with kanji/hiragana characters within parentheses. The same goes for any other derived from non-Latin writing systems. It’s because none of the names I write will be accidental or random. They’ll all have meaning. New chapters Monday to Thursday at 11:00 PM (GMT+8), though sometimes I can’t. Credit for the cover art goes to HWPerfidy. She’s a freelance artist on this site, and I’d love anyone who shows her support.
8 184Un-Familiar Sidequest 1: The Squad (A LitRPG isekai fantasy adventure)
When a burst of magical energy sweeps out of Canada and into Western New York, the president has no choice but to send in a squad of Army Rangers to sort the situation out. Five badasses... and Dane Frelser. Dane is a nobody, a drone operator with a very specific set of skills. RPG skills. See, the government knows they're all going to transform into an adventuring party of non-humans, and they know that Dane's knowledge will help his squad survive giant snakes, hordes of zombies, hedgehogtopuses and cave gibbons. Assuming he can get them to listen.
8 113Revenge of the Chaotic Sorcerer
Ten years ago, Kai's brother was killed by a mysterious masked man. His dying words? "Continue what...starte...Chao...ergy..." Now 15 year old Kai is out for revenge. On a quest for strength, he travels to the corners of the world. Will he succeed in getting his revenge? Will he die? The only thing that's sure about this world is... Chaos. I pretty much release chapters whenever I feel like it so don’t expect any consistency at all lol
8 79The Wild Beast
Grusha was the best at what she did, to dispose the demi's that plagued the earth. Being a demi herself, she slaved for the organization that used demi's as a means to deal with other demi's. In a turn of events, she was abandoned and disposed of from the very same organization she pledged herself to. She finds herself fighting on all fronts: human society; her organization; her enemies; and ultimately herself. Will she make amends with her past, present and future? [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 76Undertaker
At the age of 18, Leon Knight lost his parents in an accident. This left him alone, taking care of his 7-year-old sister. Almost three years later, Leon is working at a small restaurant in a new city to make ends meet. That is… until his life completely changed when the world underwent its integration into the unknown multiverse. Magic? Mana? Mythical creatures? Beings and concepts believed to be works of fiction become reality, bearing all of their dangers and opportunities. Given a new path, Leon treads down it cautiously. Sent to another world to prepare for his own's hazardous transformation, he will learn what it takes to survive and possibly prosper in this new era and step of evolution for his world and its inhabitants. Average Chapter Length: 1500 - 1800 words Release Schedule: Due to sudden life circumstances, I am unsure of when I’ll be able to write and post. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Tags and content warnings are subject to change, depending on where I'd like to take the story later on. I'm just a college student who likes to read and write in his free time. Feel free to give any feedback, it is much appreciated. Cover art acquired from Shutterstock https://www.shutterstock.com/g/Tithi+Luadthong
8 199