Star Gate

“You guys are trying to pull the wool over my eyes.” Li Hao frowned after flipping through the material. “The Ministry of Finance is powerful beyond compare, but they only have two metamorphosis experts that they can call on? Bullshit! The Xus had scores of metamorphosis experts under their command—the Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow Generals, as well as Xu Qing himself and Red Beard. His old man’s also an Arcanus. You’re telling me that the Lius only have two metamorphosis experts?”

“The vice ministers of the Ministry of Finance are members of the state and cannot be called upon to fight,” explained the manager. “The Lius will certainly have bodyguards in the dark, but just like the Xus, they are all in the ruins and won’t come out now.

“The only ones they can mobilize are the two that are respectively in the Four Seas Company and Skystar Colosseum. They might also hire help from Celestial or utilize highly destructive weapons such as energy bombs.”

“Do you guys sell energy bombs?” Li Hao nodded after some thought. “How much are you selling them for?”

“Three hundred thousand stones…”

“Heh!” Li Hao snorted. Go rob a bank, why don’t you? What a joke! I wouldn’t be able to loot that much treasure even if I blew up a metamorphosis expert. Do you think everyone is Xu Qing?

He flicked out a drop of Water of Life. “This information is barely worth this price, it’s too expensive! I may not make this back even if I kill a metamorphosis expert!”

The manager smiled apologetically and didn’t say anything. She put away the droplet with some surprise. The young man really was willing to pay up! She recalled how Li Hao had previously behaved like a glutton and ravenously took in everything in front of him. He was a difficult fellow to define.

“Are you guys in the business of being bodyguards?” Li Hao stretched lazily.

“Do you offer the services of metamorphosis experts as bodyguards?”

“Ah… we really don’t… but some of our initial Novas might be willing to do so. They will be expensive, however…”

“Forget it, that’s too weak!”

The manager was speechless. Were Novas weak? Wasn’t Li Hao a Nova himself? Her headache intensified upon seeing the young man linger after the conclusion of their transaction. “Commander Li, do you… have other business at hand?”

“I’m a big spender, don’t you understand?’

“……” Fuck you!

The manager who’d hosted countless guests and almost never lost her temper fully vented her fury to herself. Show some self respect, will you?!

Each set of cutlery was very expensive! They were forged out of high grade mysterious power stones; each set was worth at least two thousand stones! How dare the kid demand set after set?!

As much as she cursed to herself, she fetched another set upon further thought. Forget it! A drop of Water of Life did indeed make him a VIP. As priceless as the cutlery was, a gift was a gift. It was more like an offering to get this plague off their grounds.

Another set of cutlery soon arrived, Li Hao received it with a wide beam. He could ask the little tree for more Water of Life at ten thousand stones a drop. He had obtained two sets of cutlery worth four thousand stones each and considering the massive meal he’d just enjoyed… It wasn’t much of a loss.

Before he left, he pulled greatly on the mysterious power stones at the front door. He absorbed so much energy that they dimmed.

The manager nearly collapsed when the young man left. She was also a little paranoid, deathly afraid that Li Hao would appear behind her again. Thank goodness there was no one there this time!

It wasn’t long before an attendant from upstairs told her that the private room Li Hao had just been in was fine, but everything made out of mysterious power stones in that room was now empty decoration!

They’d been drained of all of their energy!

“What an asshole!” she couldn’t help but curse out loud.

……

Li Hao had no idea why he was being cursed—he would be quite aggrieved if he knew. It wasn’t him, it was all Panther! The dog was quite adept at absorbing energy and it’d entertained itself as the humans ate. Throughout the course of its play, it devoured all of the energy within the private room. Li Hao was certainly not going to take the fall for this.

The young man did not return to Night Watcher headquarters. He smiled in the dim light of the moon, still wearing his top hat and holding the staff.

“Troop Leader Southern First, come in when you hear this!”

……

Within the palace.

“Fucking hell!” He Yong bounced up with loud cruises. “He’s here and in trouble, which is why he’s calling for me! He ran away from me faster than anyone when he was cultivating, that little bastard…”

He’d already received word of what’d happened. Was Li Hao calling on him to fight? I’m afraid of dying!

He didn’t really dare fight the Ministry of Finance, but neither could he withstand the temptation of sword energy. After brief struggle, he responded, “Where are you?”

“At the entrance of the Nine Dragons Pavilion. I’ll wait here for you. I miss you, martial uncle!”

“……” He Yong was silent for a few brief moments before he let loose with every swear word in his vocabulary. Having gotten that out of his system, he walked outside. You should strive to be a better person, Li Hao!

……

Li Hao quite missed He Yong as it’d been quite a while. He grinned from ear to ear when he saw Southern Fist again.

“Good evening, martial uncle!”

I’m your martial uncle when you need my help and “Soldier Southern Fist” when you don’t, He Yong grumbled. His beard was scrunched up from the force of his expression.

“You’ve got some nerve!” he sneered. Of all times to visit the royal city, the kid chose this time. He was getting much cockier!

“It has nothing to do with nerve.” Li Hao smiled radiantly. “It’s just that as a Silver Moon martial master, I should travel the land and wield my sword in the most remote corners of the world. I seek out the days of the veteran martial masters and will sweep through the supernaturals of our time, glorifying the name of Silver Moon martial masters again!”

“That’s a big talk you’re talking!” He Yong looked around. “The Nine Dragons Pavilion sits at the end of the Avenues of the Nine Ministries. Those who dare talk like this outside the palace usually don’t meet with good ends.”

“That’s what the royal family thought eighty years ago.” Li Hao was completely unconcerned. “But today, the nine ministries encircle them. Martial uncle, nothing is impossible for a determined mind.”

He Yong burst out laughing. He himself was arrogant, but there was shrewdness hidden within his arrogance. The first time he met Li Hao, he’d found the young man to be cautious and prudent. The circumstances were a very different sight now, possibly due to the young man’s increase in strength. Whether it was that or other reasons, He Yong didn’t care. This kind of tone quite suited the Silver Moon martial master style.

“Shall we grab a drink?”

“Let’s do that!” Li Hao nodded. He’d drank tea with Hou Xiaochen; He Yong naturally meant alcohol. That was just as well.

“You should change your clothes,” He Yong said as they walked. “They’re so ugly and present too big of a target. Everyone will know that you dress weirdly. Do you want to be kept under watch everywhere you go?”

Li Hao smiled and waved away his conspicuous top hat. The staff in his hand turned into a bracelet that looped around his forearm.

“Have you fully mastered it?” He Yong was surprised. Had the lad refined his heritage weapon?

“No.” Li Hao shook his head. The little sword had just turned easier to manipulate with the last weapon soul it absorbed.

“Where’s Panther?”

“Arf!” a puppy barked from a corner. He Yong furrowed his brows at it.

“No one… will believe that this is the Golden Hair Hunting Dog of the Divine Masters Ranking.”

“Divine Masters Ranking?”

“Have you not looked at it?”

“No.”

“You can take a look. Although it may not be accurate, it will familiarize you with the powerhouses of the central region that are below thirty years old.”

“Not interested.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve long surpassed that.” Li Hao pointed to the horizon with an aloof look. “My goal now is those people—the ministers of the nine ministries and their old ministers, antique old farts, and existences from the ancient civilization. Even if my strength is not up to par at the moment, my ambitions soar to the heavens! As for whether or not my destiny is sufficient for the task… that depends on my luck! I will not walk far if my ambitions are not great enough. I wish to walk further!”

He Yong looked at Li Hao again in an astonished light. It’d only been a month since they parted ways in Silver Moon, but the young man had undergone great changes since then. Perhaps it was because he’d led people against Xu Qing, or perhaps it was because he’d seen more of the world.

He Yong knew that Li Hao had achieved many mighty deeds after his departure. When he left, the young man could only fight mid Novas. And now, he’d even killed a metamorphosis expert. Even though there were various reasons and luck at play for this accomplishment, that was a metamorphosis expert nonetheless.

In one short month, Li Hao had experienced the battle of White Shark, North Sea, and Calm Borders… Those were three large-scale conflicts in which he’d killed multiple Novas. As a Silver Moon martial master, those three battles had resulted in heaven-shattering changes for Li Hao. Thus, He Yong no longer had many advantages when it came to the young man.

He wasn’t even a match for Li Hao if he didn’t unseal himself. In fact, he only barely triumphed over the metamorphosis level if he didn’t unseal himself. As for Arcanus… he was far from being able to fight that level.

In Ash Mountain, he’d only been able to suppress one major monster spirit when he unsealed himself. He hadn’t been able to take on multiple like Hong Yitang had been able to.

etvolare’s Thoughts

The tables have greatly turned!