A World Worth Protecting

Xie Haiyang gave Wang Baole what seemed like a smile before coughing softly and speaking with a mild tone.

“Since we’re old pals, you should get the best deals. How about… a 20% discount?”

Wang Baole’s eyes brightened when he heard what Xie Haiyang had said. He abandoned the idea of leaving and, instead, burst out laughing and approached Xie Haiyang. He stopped ten feet away from the latter, then spoke loudly, his eyes shining with the joy of meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

“Xie Haiyang, Fellow Daoist Xie, haha, it’s been a long while since we last saw each other. I didn’t expect to see you here. I was afraid of speaking to you earlier, but after looking closely for a long while, I could finally confirm… that you’re indeed Xie Haiyang, my old friend.”

Wang Baole sighed, a distant look entering his eyes as he reminisced about the past. Happiness shone visibly on his face. So obvious was his pleasure that it almost seemed like an act…

“Fellow Daoist Haiyang, I never would’ve imagined bumping into you here. Destiny is such a strange and mysterious thing, I feel. But that’s also why life is so beautiful and amazing,” Wang Baole said as he took a seat.

After a round of hearty sighs, he blinked and said, seemingly nonchalantly, “Since this is your store and I’m getting a 20% discount on account of us being friends, I’ll have to show my support and buy more stuff.”

Xie Haiyang was stunned by Wang Baole’s sudden friendliness, and hesitation flickered in his eyes. He eyed Wang Baole carefully, then asked suddenly, “What’s your name, Fellow Daoist?”

“Eh?” Wang Baole froze momentarily. He remained smiling as he replied in the next instant, “I’m Baole. Fellow Daoist Haiyang, have you forgotten my name?”

A strange look settled on Xie Haiyang’s face when he heard that, and the hesitation in his eyes deepened. He appeared to be doubting his judgment. He had felt a faint mark on Long Nanzi that he had left on some of Wang Baole’s items in the latter’s storage bag when he had been in the Federation.

It was a mysterious mark. Even powerful cultivators wouldn’t have noticed it without taking a deliberate, careful look. It had been passed down from his clan’s patriarch. Members of his clan used the unique mark on clients they planned to invest heavily in. The mark allowed other members of the clan to recognize these clients easily. In addition, it also allowed them to appear whenever their clients were in need of their services. There were no ill intentions behind the setting of the mark. In fact, to a certain extent, it was a sign of blessing.

The energy signature that was being given off by the current mark was very weak, though. If not for the fact that Long Nanzi was standing so near him, Xie Haiyang wouldn’t have been able to sense it at all. That was the reason for his doubt. Even though he had sensed the mark, he was unable to use the mark to determine Long Nanzi’s true identity.

The aura and vibes that Long Nanzi was giving off were drastically different from the client on whom he had remembered imprinting the mark.

That had been the reason for his earlier test. He hadn’t gotten a conclusive outcome from the first test. So, after picking up his cup of tea, he attempted a second test. Long Nanzi’s reaction made him more certain of his guesses.

After all… despite his travels across numerous civilizations, the Federation was the only one that had a custom of ending a conversation and having a guest take his leave simply by one’s picking up his teacup.

However… Long Nanzi’s next reaction raised further suspicions. Long Nanzi’s admission… had come too easily. It was clear that he had done so intentionally and had done so in order to get a discount.

After some time, Xie Haiyang decided to give up guessing. He stared at Wang Baole and asked openly, “Senior Brother Baole, what’s your last name?”

“Ah?” Wang Baole pretended to look stunned and confused. He seemed unable to understand how his old acquaintance could have forgotten his family name. He was secretly pleased, though.

He had no idea how Xie Haiyang had seen through his guise. Regardless, he had no intention of revealing his true identity and hadn’t wanted to admit to knowing Xie Haiyang in the first place. The man had picked up his teacup and lured him into taking his leave unwittingly, which ultimately exposed his guise. Someone else might not have made a connection, but Wang Baole knew Xie Haiyang to be an extraordinary character. He knew that Xie Haiyang would notice something.

That had been why Wang Baole had improvised and switched from being on the defensive to being on the offensive. He put on an act of pretending to be an acquaintance for the purposes of getting a discount. He knew that his plan worked when Xie Haiyang asked that question. After the moment of surprise and incomprehension, Wang Baole allowed a dark look to settle on his face as he stood up in anger.

“Fellow Daoist Haiyang, I really didn’t expect to see you here today. Your departure had been unexpected. Besides, I never thought you might appear in such a place. But there’s really no need to insult me by saying that you’ve forgotten my last name, is there?”

“Acknowledge me as an old friend or don’t acknowledge me as one, the choice is up to you. I’m not the sort of person who’s desperate for a 20% discount!” Displeasure flashed across Wang Baole’s face. He turned away, showing his intention to leave. However, he didn’t do so in a hurry. He had to give the other man a chance to speak. After all, 20% was still an extremely attractive discount.

He had allowed for some ambiguity in his words. He had mentioned that Xie Haiyang’s departure had been unexpected. That could be interpreted in many ways. If Xie Haiyang had left in an ordinary fashion, Wang Baole could mean that he had been surprised at the departure. If the former had left in a bizarre or mysterious fashion, then surprise was even more warranted.

The way he phrased his words left Xie Haiyang in a bind. Xie Haiyang got to his feet hurriedly and tried to stop Wang Baole.

“Brother Liu, please, don’t go. Liu Baole, your temper hasn’t changed at all. I was just joking with you. About my departure, you must remember what I told you when we first met. Where there’s business to be done, that’s where I’ll go.”

The tight look on Wang Baole’s face softened. He turned and gave Xie Haiyang a look. He couldn’t believe the alien. Xie Haiyang was still trying to test him. He had even given him a different name—Liu Baole. It made him sound rich, though. Only those born with dashing good looks deserved such a name. Nevertheless, the name didn’t fit his style at all.

Wang Baole had no intention of revealing his true identity, though. After some thought, he decided to neither deny nor acknowledge the name. Instead, he lifted his hand and pulled out a jade slip, then handed the jade slip over to Xie Haiyang.

“Fellow Daoist Haiyang, let’s leave that aside for a moment. Could you help me with the purchase of some materials? Here’s the list.”

Xie Haiyang blinked when he heard that. He took the jade slip from Wang Baole and glanced through the list. A smile appeared on his face.

“No problem at all. But my old friend, we must separate business and friendship. Even with the discount that I’ve given you, the total cost of these materials is going to be sky-high. Can you really afford to pay?”

Wang Baole remained calm on the outside as he sighed secretly on the inside. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to afford the materials. An overwhelming sense of poverty crushed him then, making him feel just a bit smaller. His skills at keeping up appearances were top-notch, though. Even if he couldn’t afford the materials on the list, he would still be able to get a 20% discount on what he had selected earlier. In addition, he might be able to erase whatever suspicions Xie Haiyang still harbored about his identity. A serious look settled on his face then.

“Brother Haiyang, do you trust me? If you do, I, Liu Baole, will write you a promissory note right now. Just treat this as extending credit to me. Just this once!”

Xie Haiyang’s facial muscles twitched. He looked closely at Wang Baole again. The doubt he had was preventing him from making a judgment call. Wang Baole’s acting skills had been put to good use. If he had denied his identity right from the start, Xie Haiyang would have caught him lying straight away. But the more he admitted to their friendship, the more uncertain Xie Haiyang became.

Xie Haiyang pondered for some time. Then, his eyes flashed. He looked around before whispering, “Brother Baole, I have a business proposition. Would you be interested in it? There’s an element of danger involved in the deal, but it’s minimal. Should you succeed, the rewards awaiting you will be great. They’ll be enough to get you all the materials you want and leave you with sizable wealth after that!”

“A business proposition?” Alarm bells started ringing in Wang Baole’s head, and a look of hesitation appeared on his face.

“That’s right. Don’t worry, my friend. I’m talking about a mission that’s been issued by a mysterious and powerful cultivator. He’s extremely powerful and has a grudge against the Never-Ending Clan. However, because of some unknown reasons, he’s unable to strike at them directly. He hasn’t been able to let go of his grudge despite the years that have passed. So, from time to time, he issues missions in various cities, gathering cultivators and getting them to wear specially-made masks, then teleporting them to a random planet where they are to hunt down Never-Ending Clan cultivators!

“He has issued more than thirty missions so far. He takes charge of the teleportation to and from the planets, as well as the cleanup. The cultivators that he gathers are responsible for killing the Never-Ending Clan cultivators. The cultivators get nothing if they are killed. But, if they survive, they’ll be rewarded with Red Crystals. The number of Red Crystals they are awarded is determined by the number of Never-Ending Clan members they manage to hunt down and kill!

“Red Crystals are the hard currency used in the Never-Ending Dao Domain. Three hundred Red Crystals should be enough to get you everything on your list!”