Chapter 42: A Bitter Kiss and a Grand Departure

After a moment of disorientation, Zhang Luan felt a continuous flow of warm energy transfer from Ye Ying’s mouth to his own. He knew this was Ye Ying using her life force to replenish him.

But why this peculiar method? One might assume being kissed by a beautiful woman was a blessing, yet Zhang Luan knew she held a piece of intensely bitter chocolate in her mouth. In that moment, only one thought consumed him.

“Damn it! It’s so bitter!”

He tried to break free, but Ye Ying offered no such opportunity. The woman had even cast a restrictive field around them, preventing him from using his blink ability, forcefully pushing the bitter chocolate further into Zhang Luan’s mouth.

This bitter kiss lasted for nearly a minute. Zhang Luan’s tongue felt numb from the intensely bitter chocolate; he couldn’t fathom how Ye Ying had managed to eat it earlier. In return, however, his lifespan gradually recovered. He now possessed approximately sixty years of life force, more than enough to ‘spend’ a life with the Chaos Wheel Ring.

Ye Ying released him, stepping back a few paces, gasping for breath.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave. Yanate will come for you tomorrow, Saint Son.”

With that, she turned to depart without a backward glance.

“Hey, are you just going to leave like that? That was my first kiss!”

He wasn’t lying. Even after his rebirth, he genuinely hadn’t kissed anyone.

Ye Ying paused, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around.

“What else do you want? Akamana’s Life Divine Art can only be used this way! Do you think I wanted to? It was my first kiss too!”

Her voice was remarkably loud, a stark contrast to her usual composed demeanor. Zhang Luan even noticed a faint glimmer of tears welling in the corners of Ye Ying’s eyes.

“Nothing, nothing at all. You can go.”

Zhang Luan cleared his throat. On second thought, despite consuming an impossibly bitter chocolate, he had still come out ahead.

Ye Ying couldn’t be bothered with him and turned to leave. Watching her retreating figure, Zhang Luan wistfully touched his lips. He had been so focused on the bitterness before that he hadn’t realized the High Priestess was quite sweet after all.

Lost in these thoughts, he made his way to the training grounds, drew the Bow of Demise, and began to shoot.

Ten years had instilled in him the habit of practicing archery. While it no longer offered significant technical improvements, it greatly enhanced his currently frail body.

Time flowed slowly under the arching arrows.

****

As the sky gradually brightened and a misty fog enveloped the surroundings, some diligent young Guardians arrived at the training grounds for their morning practice. Their eyes widened in surprise when they saw Zhang Luan, and that surprise quickly turned to fear upon noticing the ruined expanse where the ground had been blasted.

“The Saint Son is terrifying!”

Noticing the approaching figures, Zhang Luan put away the Bow of Demise. He was drenched in sweat, radiating a thick vapor. Just one night of training had increased the strength and endurance attributes of his somewhat frail body by five points.

Though not a large gain, it was a significant improvement.

Not far away, Yanate approached, still clad in his heavy armor. He looked at Zhang Luan with a hint of complexity in his eyes. In his mind, Zhang Luan had transformed from an enigmatic Saint Son to a genius who had escaped from some powerful faction. If he could follow him closely, perhaps he could truly achieve advancement.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Yanate composed himself and respectfully addressed Zhang Luan:

“Saint Son, the High Priestess has arranged for the magitech carriage. I, along with a team of Guardians, will escort you to South Faction City. Shall we depart now, or do you require some rest?”

Zhang Luan felt an odd discomfort at his demeanor. They had fought fiercely during their first meeting, yet today Yanate had become like a fawning sycophant.

He disliked it.

“Speak properly. Weren’t you quite formidable? I was looking forward to two more matches with you. Even if my personal charm is overwhelming, it shouldn’t reduce a Guardian instructor like you to such obsequiousness, should it? Akamana’s teachings never included such a clause.”

His words were like a sharp thorn piercing Yanate’s heart. If given a choice, who would willingly humble themselves? But he had no other option. If he didn’t follow Zhang Luan closely, with his own limited aptitude, he would never achieve his first advancement in this lifetime. He had to rely on him.

“I… uh, Saint Son, would you prefer to rest first or board the carriage directly? I will make the arrangements.”

Seeing that he hadn’t changed, Zhang Luan didn’t bother to press the issue. While he didn’t know what had happened to the man, it was ultimately his own choice and had nothing to do with him.

“I’m not tired. Let’s go straight to South Faction City. They must be eager for our arrival, right?”

“Yes, I will immediately send someone to bring the magitech carriage over.”

Under Yanate’s arrangements, a short while later, a colossal magitech carriage, practically screaming ‘I’m incredibly powerful,’ arrived before Zhang Luan.

Its body was immense, and its interior spacious. The structural framework gleamed with the silvery, streaking light of magic, and its surface was emblazoned with Akamana’s iris-silver spear emblem. The entire vehicle shimmered with magical radiance, exuding an undeniable majesty. Any bandit with even a shred of courage would be a loser if they didn’t try to plunder this magitech carriage!

“Who arranged this magitech carriage? Do you usually travel in something like this?”

Yanate shook his head.

“No, no, no. This vehicle is exclusively for the Saint Son. It’s usually stored underground. If you hadn’t become the Saint Son, it likely would never have been brought out.”

Looking at the ostentatious magitech carriage, Zhang Luan wondered what previous Saint Sons had been thinking. Making it so flashy, as if afraid others wouldn’t know how rich they were?

Though he wasn’t afraid himself, if he were constantly harassed along the way, the journey that should only take ten hours could stretch on indefinitely.

“Is the Saint Son displeased?”

“Displeased, yes. Are there any other carriages? Even if I’m handsome, there’s no need to show it off with such a flamboyant vehicle. By the way, I recall Nan Fenghua’s magitech carriage is parked behind, gathering dust, right? Let’s use hers.”

Hearing Zhang Luan’s words, Yanate awkwardly scratched his head.

“Well… the High Priestess dispatched all the magitech carriages from the temple last night, except for this one. It seems she sent the knights to the plains to eradicate goblins. Even her own and the Saintess’s magitech carriages were given to several female knights. So…”

Zhang Luan’s face darkened.

“So, this is the only one left?”

“Uh… yes, just this one.”

At that moment, Zhang Luan’s mind suddenly conjured an image of Ye Ying smirking triumphantly at him. Sending people to eradicate goblins first thing in the morning?

Who would believe that?

It was clearly that woman’s petty revenge!

Staring at the magnificent magitech carriage, Zhang Luan steeled himself and stepped inside.

“Drive, drive!”

Yanate scratched his head, then, along with a team of seasoned Guardians, settled into the back row of the magitech carriage. As it started, dazzling particle effects flared from its tailfins, and the opulent magitech carriage sped away under the envious gazes of the young Guardians.