C121-2: It Is Lonely At The Top

Promising to send a copy of the manual the next time they had an exchange of resources (because Xuhan hadn't memorized the manual, just as usual) , he left the realm of laws.
Night was at its darkest, he realized after a look outside . The mountains were asleep with its inhabitants. Tomorrow was a big day. Everyone wanted to get ample rest.

Snuffing out the lungs cleansing candles (scented), Xuhan laid down on his bed and drifted off to sleep easily, the mental labour of the day having taken its toll.


Oi Xuhan ! Oi, get up !"

Alarmed, Han Xuhan opened his eyes and was greeted by Mu Ran's excited face. The young man stood a few feet away from his bed, a large bucket sticking out from his back . Xuhan's senses told him the content of the bucket was a pile of extremely pure, powdered qi.

With a start, he realized that the sky had brightened, rays of sunlight had invaded his hut through the windows, as well as the wide open door.

How did this guy get in? Goosebumps appeared on Xuhan's back. This type of incidents were most common in rom-com novels. The retarded, creepy male lead would mysteriously gain the power to get past any door as long as the love interest was at the other side....

Oh heavens have mercy....

"Honestly underling, your home security is kind of crap. How can I let you safeguard anything precious if even a basic telekinetic spell can unlock everything inside your home?" Brightly, Mu Ran reprimanded Xuhan, seemingly brimming with excitement for the event today.

The chilling feeling in his bones disappeared as Xuhan recalled that Mu Ran hadn't gained the ability to unlock his door by becoming a template male lead from those retarded romance plots induced by some writer's repressed fantasies.

"Come, come, COME ! We gotta hurry up. Wash your face, maybe try cleaning your teeth with some coal and salt. Gotta make ourselves presentable!"

Briefly, Xuhan fell into a spiral of doubt trying to reevaluate their relationship as boss and subordinate. Had the roles changed somehow ?

"Aiya~ all those foreign jade beauties, I must be at my most dashing self...."

Mu Ran's dreamy, lecherous expression brought him back from his doubts. Thankfully, the guy was just eager for his future harem members.

"I'm on it, boss !" Xuhan dutifully leapt up and got to work, just as expected of a proper wingman.

Half an hour later, both of them reached their master's residence on the top of the mountain, and then got yelled at by a distraught Kong Ye.

"WHAT ? YOU HAVEN'T RE-EXAMINED THE ENTIRE BODY OF FORMATIONS YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF ?! GO DO IT NOW !"

Almost sent flying by the intensity of the shouts, the duo ran back to their own huts and started doing what they were told.

Han Xuhan was done after ten minutes. It wasn't because of his proficiency, but due to the fact that he hadn't really designed much of the formations. Mu Ran had filled in for him.

Not wanting to face Kong Ye right at the moment, Han Xuhan went to visit his other martial siblings .

"Brother Wu, this mountain peak felt your absence far too strongly the last few weeks! Have you finished preparing for whatever you're planning to pull in the tournament?"

"Huh? Who said that? Who said I was preparing to pull something in the tournament?"
Xiao Wu looked like a deer in headlight, his overly strong reaction giving away too much information. Xuhan's predatory persona perked up smelling something very delicious.

"You just messed up the formation you were attending to, brother Wu," he pointed out, watching Xiao Wu fumble with qi and try to reformat the design.

"Did you finish up re-examining your own formations already ?" Xiao Wu asked in a frustrated tone.

"Oh yes, I did. It took like ten minutes."

". . . ."

Leaving behind an increasingly gloomy Xiao Wu, Xuhan went to visit Yuen Zhou with a swagger in his steps.

But as soon as he got near her residence, he was forced to stop approaching further. Her home was surrounded by a bunch of flying swords....and as interesting as their aerial movement seemed to Xuhan, the swords did not look friendly.

"Oi, sister Zhou ! Are you in there ?" He shouted while retreating as far as possible.
No one answered his call. What was this lass up to right before such an important event ? A last minute attempt at a breakthrough?
She was planting formations just yesterday. Did she gain enlightenment from bending over all day long designing them ?

Han Xuhan felt lonely.