Book 22 Chapter 21

When it's not too late to go back…

-I don't want to! But…….

"Huh? Are you awake now?"

Croak!

"That's great."

Crikey!

"Let me ask you one question. Master… are you here?"

Nod!

"Phew, that's right, I was wondering… It's Nara after all……."

Nod!

"Then can I ask you a favor? What? Say yes? Thank you."

Bai Muhu hadn't answered yet.

"Take me to where my master is. Can you do it?"

Instead of answering, Bai Muhu stared blankly at Yan Fei. When Yun Bi saw that, he sighed and said.

"Can you please not look at me like that? I'm still sober, and I don't want to be looked at like that by an animal, honestly."

Bai Muhu nodded again, this time longingly.

"Okay, let's go then, yay!"

At the same time, the white tiger kicked off the ground and flew away. The white tiger ran under the night sky, spurred on by several gusts of wind. The wind whipped past his cheeks. The houses seemed tiny at times; the white tiger's leap was high and fast.

The white tiger quickly landed on the patronage of a restaurant with a sign that read 'Silla Gak'. It made little sound as a spirit creature that had been trained for so long. Baek Mu-hoo carefully steadied himself on the ground. Then a woman dressed in black descended from Bai Xiaochun's back. She was Yan Bi, of course. The idea of using a white tiger as a mount was outrageous.

"Here?"

Bai Muhu nodded.

"Exactly where?"

Then Bai Muhu raised his head and pointed to a window at the end of the third floor.

"Hmm, that's it. Thanks. See you around, whitey!"

Then his golden eyes narrowed.

"Will I ever see it again?

The snow-white eyes say so.

"You'll see me again, I promise!"

Soon, the fuel-efficient newcomer disappeared into the ether.

Let's make sure there's no misunderstanding.

You're not walking into this building for the Yeonbi, and you're not walking up these stairs for the Yeonbi. You want to turn around at this level, but you're going up one more level. Against my will, I take ten steps to the right and reach the door on the far left. It's not too late. If you want to go back, you can go back now. Just turn around and walk away quietly and unnoticed. The longer you wait, the more dangerous it is, so if you want to go back, now is the time. You didn't get this far for nothing!

You lift your gaze and look at the door. It's nothing special, except that it's a special room. It doesn't breathe fire like the ears of the Tower of Heaven. It doesn't have any of the grotesque statues of the demons, but you don't dare knock on it.

Entering the ear gate of the Great Hall was not the least bit intimidating; in fact, it was an exciting new adventure. But this ordinary gate was terrifying to enter, for he knew that the moment he stepped beyond it, everything would be turned upside down, and he would claim that his destiny was not his own.

So let's make no mistake.

I'm not doing this because I like it. But it's also true that there is no other way. If you can't run away, you have to face it head-on. And sometimes that means opening doors you don't want to open. So what are you waiting for, you've already done the work. Raise your hand and knock on the door. Come on, come on!

Smart!

Finally, Yunbi knocked on the door, and without waiting for an answer, she pushed it open and stepped inside.

It was a warm day and the brazier was not lit. The air was warm.

The gray-haired old man was sitting at a table in the center of the room, sipping a cup of wine. Zhang Wuyang, who had gone out to fetch better liquor, hadn't arrived yet, so he was left to his own devices. There were two knocks on the door, and before he could answer, it burst open. The old man slowly turned his head to look at the rude visitor. The visitor was dressed in black, carrying an umbrella in one hand and a silk bag in the other. It was Yunbi.

The old man remained silent for a moment, staring into Yan's eyes. A gaze with a depth deeper than the abyss stared back into Yan's amber eyes. There was a breathless silence. She did not avert her gaze. They both remained silent.

It was the old man who made the first move. The old man, who was as stiff as a statue, shifted his gaze, scanned the gas gauge up and down, and said with a puzzled expression.

"Have you come to eavesdrop, for I have not found a woman?"

Apparently, the old man had mistaken the woman who had just entered for a prostitute. Of course, she wasn't traveling, and he had to let her know.

Yunfei squinted one eye and replied in an embarrassed tone of voice.

"Ouch, you too!"

I didn't forget to cross my waist and legs once.

"……."

"……."

For a moment, time froze and space stood still. The silence was heavier and more chilling than before. I could almost feel the freezing of time and space.

"Hehehe……."

With an incredulous chuckle, the old man looked around.

In the old man's eyes, he saw an iron brazier where he put embers when he was cold. That was enough. The old man grasped the sides of the iron brazier with both hands, and slowly began to bring them together. At that moment, the iron brazier began to close into a single point, like soft clay. The old man fiddled with it like a potter kneading clay to make pottery. With each light movement of the old man's hand, the iron dough began to fold this way and that, losing its original shape. Slowly, the iron brazier formed a lump, and the old man began to roll it, stretching the iron like sputum. Soon, a good-sized, thick, solid-looking iron club was formed. As a finishing touch, the old man wrote the words "Striking Awakening Spirit Rod" on the end of the rod with his finger. The old man's fingers were not rough at all, as if he were writing on tofu.

When he was done, the old man jumped to his feet and stared at Yeonbi, still dumbfounded.

"Heh heh heh… heh heh heh……."

Once again, there was a ragged laugh.

Blah, blah, blah!

The old man's body, as still as a mountain, moved. The old man shuffled forward, dragging his club across the stone floor.

Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!

Sparks began to fly from the butt of the iron club scraped against the stone floor.

It is the duty of a master to correct the faults of his pupil!

"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The old man's agenda was simple, straightforward, and terrifying.

<Continued from "Reliability" Volume 23