Dual Cultivation God Returns

Under the cover of the turbulent weather, the small group traveled toward the nearby populated areas, and as the storm started to wind down the next morning, they mixed into the ranks of reluctant travelers that started appearing on the roads in between. Though they of course did not have any interest in wandering through small cities, as there was at the moment no surveillance on them in particular, so they opted to join the steady stream of people traveling toward a larger city.

Madam Liang and Zhao Biren, being already Seven Profound Realms cultivators long before arriving in this world, adapted faster than others, as they only required brief readjustment, and receiving the baptism of Heavenly Tribulations completely removed any traces of them being alien to these lands.

On the other hand, Wu Long and Hong Yue both possessed the Bahshi Ghost Codex technique that had a trick to conceal such signs of origin, the latter also was still in the Core Reformation Realm, which meant she was free to move unlike her twin who was getting used to being a Seven Profound Realms cultivator like others. Adding in the Origin Concealing Technique to mask their cultivation realms, they were able to seamlessly blend in.

It should be noted, that while the pretext of Hong Yue joining the expedition was that as an assassin she was naturally good at gathering information and acting discreetly in general, Wu Long could feel her crimson gaze from behind, that seemed to scrutinize his every action.

It was apparent that her wishing to help utilizing the skills she had was but a pretext. She was not really suspicious of him, coming this far, to still suspect him was pure foolishness, and while this white-haired assassin was many things, she was far from being foolish. But it did not mean she completely trusted him either, as the traces of a broken trust could not be so easily erased.

At this point her suspicion turned to inquiry, as she wished to know more about the man her sister was so enamored with, and who seemed to have a certain spark. It was a vague feeling she could not yet put into words, or perhaps never would be able to, as the more she perceived this undefined quality in him, the less clear it seemed to become.

As they were already nearing the large city that they picked as a suitable starting point, Wu Long looked to the side, and a chuckle escaped his lips.

"You seem excited", he noted, seeing an unusual look in the eyes of Madam Liang.

"Oh my, Valley Master surely knows, after being locked in one place for so long, it is natural to be at least a little bit enticed by the prospect of exploring a wider world, is it not? I'm sure Daoist Zhao is also…", the Thousand Eyes Palace Master gave him a very characteristic smile that had a bit of mature charm, and just enough enticement to be alluring but not enough to be suggestive.

However, her words trailed off, as did her smile, when she looked back toward the Wine Dao master who at this very moment was taking a sip from a drinking gourd, contrary to her words seeming very tranquil and lacking her enthusiasm.

"Uhngh…. Ah yes, of course I am excited as well", the latter noticed the attention of the two traveling ahead shifting toward him, hurriedly gulp the sip of his liquor he just took, trying to save Madam Liang some face by show of agreement.

First a subtle and suppressed "pfft", escaped Madam Liang's lips, and then a giggle began shaking her shoulders, infecting Wu Long with a light laughter as well, the two looking as the prodigal son of Zhao Xieren was awkwardly realizing that his "superb" impromptu acting did not manage to convince either of the two. frёeωebɳovel.com

"Hahaha, there are of course exceptions, and there are as many ways as people, but as a stereotype, those suited to pursue Wine Dao usually have a lot of acceptance, and thus are immune to the feeling of being stifled by confinement in one place if they can practice their arts", Wu Long chuckled, reminding her of the specifics of their companion.

"Haha, I should have remembered Daoist Zhao was never that worked up about not being able to leave the Fractured World", Liang Yuhan nodded, as she recalled his lax attitude toward the whole ordeal, peacefully biding his time rather than being frustrated.

"Hmm, well I did feel stifled in my Father's house, sometime long ago, which is why I left to pursue my own path, but as I got older, and obtained my peace in the Wine Dao, I came to appreciate life more as it was", Zhao Biren replied, trying to vindicate himself a little from the image of someone so indifferent to his surroundings.

"Hmm, a good quality to have", Wu Long nodded, as appreciating the moment happened to be something he excelled at as well, even if he was more ambitious than Zhao Biren, adding "my good friend you call Wine God understands it well, sometimes too well if you ask me hahaha"

"The Wine God huh… did you not say that calling him a Drunkard was appropriate?", Liang Yuhan first expressed awe at the name of a legendary figure in her view dropping so lightly, but then as she remembered Wu Long's words a sudden smile appeared on her face as she found it incredibly funny to hear such things as they were said by someone with qualifications to do so.

"Haha, well he holds these titles in as high regard as I do", Wu Long shrugged, as the words 'So… not high at all' came to the minds of both Madam Liang and Zhao Biren.

"Hmm, but there are titles you do hold in some regard though…", Liang Yuhan then asked with curiosity, and he made a wry smile that seemed to say 'you caught me'.

"Guilty, will not deny. Though in the case of those it is more because of what they represent, or who they belong to. In case of the former, I regard for example the Battle God title with respect because of what it means to be one, and for the latter, I regard the Sword God title because of the person this title should currently belong to", Wu Long spoke as Madam Liang's eyes revealed a look of being absorbed in the conversation, listening closely to nor miss any details.

"But then again you don't really think much of your own current titles?", she asked a pursuing question and his face revealed a thoughtful look.

"Hmm, there are many reasons I don't, but they get a little complicated. Maybe I will tell you in the future. One thing I can say is that I don't enjoy the vanity of those titles, their emptiness", he replied slightly cryptically, a highly unusual occurrence for him as he usually was very open and frank in his speech.

This told the two he was speaking to that he did not want to delve into the topic.

"Though I did, in some cases, use some of my titles to my advantage. It was useful when my opponents knew who they were dealing with right away without having to list credentials", he then added with a smile.

"Haha, I guess not just anyone would have the courage to challenge the God of Slaughter in battle", Madam Liang chuckled.

"I meant the other title", he replied with a meaningful smile and a playfully raising his eyebrows a couple of times, as Madam Liang started giggling.

'Look at him go', meanwhile, traveling slightly behind and to the side of the three, Hong Yue's crimson eyes narrowed at the sight of Wu Long being so chummy with Madam Liang, not knowing if she should be appalled on behalf of her sister, or impressed, by his shamelessness.

'He still wants more?', she thought as she recalled how many women he already wooed. It did not matter to her that the Wine Dao master was also present and participating in the discussion.

Though, to be fair, even if he was, there really was a bit of an atmosphere between Wu Long and Liang Yuhan even as they included Zhao Biren in the conversation, so Hong Yue was not particularly off in her view.

But then a conversation she had with her twin came to her mind, where Hong Yue was decrying exactly him already having so many women beside him, to which her sister simply replied "I don't care. Everyone has their vices, and Darling's is women. Rather than being so bent out of shape by that, I choose to focus on what I like, and I like everything else about him…", leaving Hong Yue speechless.

'What's so amazing about him?', Hong Yue inwardly asked the same question as she asked herself that day. Perhaps it is after that day that she found herself seeking for the answer to her question, her eyes reflecting his profile.