Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
As Cui Ming and Li Qing sensed that Ding Ze's personality was somewhat peculiar, Beiyue finally began to tell Ding Ze's story. Ding Ze was not an ordinary person; he was the third son of the Ding Family from the Western Continent, a renowned family of cultivators. He also had a betrothed childhood sweetheart. In his youth, Ding Ze loved adventure and was expected to become the most outstanding cultivator of the Ding Family, as well as a strong heir to the position of Ding Family Head. However, everything changed when he turned fifteen. His mother, a follower of the Cult of the Gods, confessed to a priest before her death from illness, revealing a shocking secret: Ding Ze's father was someone else.
Ding Ze's mother came from another family of cultivators and had been forced into marriage with Ding Ze's father. However, she had already made a lifelong commitment to another man before marrying into the Ding Family, and by the time she arrived at the Ding Family, she was already pregnant with Ding Ze. In an instant, the royal lineage collapsed; family, love, and future were all lost. Even though Ding Ze was among the best of his generation in the Ding Family, everything had come to an end.
Ding Ze's grandfather was furious and exiled him to the Eastern Continent, ordering him never to return to the Ding Family while simultaneously annulling his engagement to his childhood sweetheart, who belonged to another prominent family. According to a contract established by the families' alliance, this young woman would marry another member of the Ding Family.
The Four Great Families held significant power within the alliance, dominating nearly half of it. Ding Ze's grandfather was also part of this large family and suffered humiliation due to this incident, directing his anger towards Ding Ze without any objections regarding his exile. Thus, in a small court session, Ding Ze's freedom and love were stripped away.
Heartbroken, Ding Ze relocated to Dawn City in the Eastern Continent. He drowned his sorrows in nightlife and debauchery, relying on alcohol and pleasure to numb himself. He could not accept such a drastic change in his life; after all, he was the only one who could not blame his mother for what had happened. At this time, his childhood sweetheart came to him with plans for elopement. However, feeling deeply disappointed in him, she returned their token of affection to him. She then contacted Beiyue, who challenged Ding Ze to a duel; ultimately, Beiyue emerged victorious. Like Cui Ming, Ding Ze signed an employment contract.
"Ding Family," Li Qing nodded in Beiyue Agency's office. "The Ding Family is at the top of the Four Great Families. Ding Ze's grandfather from the Ye Family is also quite powerful. Because of the overwhelming strength of the Four Great Families, my teacher was quite concerned about them establishing a Minor League within the alliance."
Cui Ming was gazing out of the window when a strange figure stepped out of a car below. The person stood over eighty centimeters tall and wore a hat that obscured their face except for their eyes. Both their clothing and hat were dark purple—Yorkian.
Although Yorkians were rare in Dawn City, they were not nonexistent. They spoke little but were members of the alliance; thus, they had ambassadors stationed in Dawn City. The York Clan resided in a mountain range at the intersection of the Eastern and Western Continents where various precious herbs grew. Dawn City being a populous city hosted York Clan pharmaceutical enterprises. Despite numbering less than ten thousand, Yorkians possessed one of Eternal Sphere's oldest civilizations and histories; they had survived countless wars with resilience. The various secret medicines produced by the York Clan were far more effective than ordinary drugs but also significantly more expensive.
In the cultivation world, ordinary people from the York Clan had a high probability of becoming preparatory cultivators—one in every thousand individuals could achieve this status. However, when both parents were cultivators, their child becoming a cultivator had only a one-in-a-thousand chance as well. The reason for this remained unknown; aside from their shorter stature, Yorkians did not differ much from humans.
Cui Ming snapped back to reality when Li Qing called him and shared his thoughts on Ding Ze's background story: "The immense contrast has created a significant gap within him; such harm can be very serious for one's spirit. It depends on how Ding Ze perceives it now; if he is willing to let go and start anew, gold will always be gold regardless of its name. If he still cannot accept reality at this point, then there may not be much hope for recovery."
Li Qing replied, "Junior Brother, you are mistaken here. You see that Ding Ze seems lazy and never practices with us; however, his energy system is different from ours. Energy is unrelated to physical strength; it seeks purity instead. Although it appears that Ding Ze is always lying down or sitting around, this is actually part of energy training—meditation. Nonetheless, he does seem somewhat lazy; his application of energy isn't particularly good and has much room for improvement. Training involves not only contemplation but also practical experience. Ding Ze hasn't given up on himself; perhaps he prefers who he is now."
"Oh." Cui Ming nodded, appreciating the straightforwardness of this approach. He wasn't particularly concerned about Ding Ze.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Cui Ming opened it to find an employee from downstairs, along with a Yorkian. "Hello, he is looking for the person in charge of Beiyue Agency."
It was a practitioner. Cui Ming thanked him and invited the Yorkian inside. Since everyone was busy, they didn't extinguish their lights. The Yorkian looked around and saw that they were all fellow practitioners. He asked, "Who is Beiyue?"
Beiyue was at the desk looking at the Yorkian. "I am."
With a swift motion, the Yorkian flipped over and landed on the desk, standing with one hand on his hip. "My name is Mi Xiaonan. Have you encountered a Yorkian named Weir?"
Just as Beiyue was about to speak, Cui Ming interjected, "Wait a moment, Mi Xiaonan. We are an agency."
Mi Xiaonan turned to look at Cui Ming. "What about it?"
"We charge for our services," Cui Ming added. "Even asking questions incurs a fee." It wasn't just about money; he wanted to gauge the relationship between Mi Xiaonan and Weir. From Mi Xiaonan's demeanor, it was clear he wasn't a typical Yorkian, who were generally hospitable, enthusiastic, and polite. Mi Xiaonan had ignored Cui Ming when he opened the door and hadn't greeted him at all—showing no courtesy—and even jumped onto his boss's desk. One possibility crossed Cui Ming's mind: Weir might be dead, and Beiyue Agency could be taking the blame, so it was essential to clarify their connection first.
Beiyue often found Cui Ming's behavior perplexing. Whenever Cui Ming explained afterward, Beiyue felt that he was overly fixated on details. For instance, in this situation, he could have simply acknowledged that they knew each other, provided some context, and asked about the visitor's purpose. However, Cui Ming believed that such an approach would put him at a disadvantage. As Beiyue became more familiar with him, he labeled Cui Ming as meticulous—not in a derogatory sense but rather indicating that Cui Ming tended to think things through too carefully. Beiyue understood this was a remnant of Cui Ming's childhood profession; after all, one misstep in thievery could lead to total failure.
Mi Xiaonan expressed his dissatisfaction: "Why do people from Dawn City always talk about money?"
"What else should we talk about?" Cui Ming retorted. Mi Xiaonan paused for a moment before Cui Ming continued, "How about this: you explain who you are and what you want from our agency first, then we'll decide whether to charge you."
Mi Xiaonan nodded seriously. "My name is Mi Xiaonan, a Yorkian and a ninja. I came to Dawn City to hunt down Weir." He remained quite polite and clearly stated his identity.
On a cold spring night after a busy day, who is still typing away? It's Shrimp, seeking votes while holding a bowl...
Comment 0 Comment Count