Bluffing
1541 Words
Zhao Sizhuo, single-minded in his desire to cling to Chu Ran’s coattails, saw the tall, thin man standing motionless, staring intently at Chu Ran.
He felt displeased!
*Hmph, how dare you stare at the great one I intend to follow?*
Thus, the disgruntled Young Master Zhao shouted at the tall, thin man, “What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and return the item to Big… ahem, to Brother Chu.”
“Don’t waste Brother Chu’s time!” Young Master Zhao shouted, clearly unhappy.
Hearing this, the tall, thin man turned his head and glanced at him.
His gaze was gloomy, his eyes dark and deep.
A sudden chill ran up Zhao Sizhuo’s spine, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.
*This guy is a bit sinister!*
Zhao Sizhuo stared at the tall, thin man, thinking to himself that this fellow’s aura was dark and gloomy, unlike someone who walked the righteous path.
His mind whirled with several thoughts, and he began to form a plan.
To speak of this Young Master Zhao—although he was unaccomplished in his studies, had mediocre cultivation talent, and spent his days idling around with a pack of lackeys; although he was glib-tongued, acted arrogantly, and wasn’t above bullying others by relying on his status—he had never actually engaged in truly heinous acts like oppressing men and seizing women.
After all, this world operated on karma and retribution; the Heavenly Dao watched from above. Those who committed evil would be entangled in karma, and if they weren’t careful, they would face their destined calamity. Dying like that would leave them with no excuse. In these times, it wasn’t easy being a cultivator!
Compared to ten thousand years later, when immortals would be secluded in the highest heavens, separated from the mortal realm and becoming remote and unattainable, in this current era, immortals and humans coexisted in the same world. Legends of gods and immortals were everywhere. Cultivating immortality wasn’t as elusive as it would become later, but conversely, the Heavenly Dao’s constraints on all living beings, especially cultivators, were heavier.
Karma clung to one’s body, and calamities arose accordingly.
Zhao Sizhuo might not be capable, but he excelled in having a quick mind and knowing his limits. Even when acting arrogantly, he understood boundaries. Seeing that the tall, thin man’s origins seemed questionable, he didn’t dare to bully or threaten him outright.
His eyes darted around, and he sidled up to Chu Ran, saying, “Brother Chu, is that person your friend?”
Hearing this, the tall, thin man was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself, *A friend?*
*Could he… also have friends?*
Chu Ran stood tall and graceful to the side. A breeze blew past, lifting his long sleeves and making his robes flutter.
His handsome face wore a cold expression as his clear, sharp gaze fell upon the tall, thin man ahead. His tone was mild as he said, “We’ve met once.”
Hearing this, the tall, thin man’s heart sank heavily.
He raised his eyes to look at Chu Ran before him. A deep, dark light flickered within his pitch-black pupils.
His pale, thin face carried an indescribable sense of sorrow.
Seeing this, Zhao Sizhuo muttered to himself, *Why does this person look so sorrowful? It’s terribly inauspicious!*
Chu Ran remained expressionless, his gaze clear, cold, and unwavering as he looked at him.
Unmoved.
The tall, thin man’s lips moved a few times before he finally opened his mouth and said, “Here.”
He stretched out his hand toward Chu Ran. The Lvluo Immortal Leaf in his palm glowed with a soft, flowing light.
“I’m sorry,” he added, his deep eyes fixed on Chu Ran.
Chu Ran stood there motionless, his long sleeves fluttering, his black hair lifting in the wind. His face was as beautiful as an immortal’s.
His entire demeanor, his graceful bearing, left the onlookers around them dumbstruck.
“No need,” Chu Ran’s voice was clear and cold. “That was originally your item. There’s no need to give it to me.”
“As for an apology, it’s even less warranted. You’ve done nothing to wrong me,” Chu Ran said, his expression indifferent.
If he had entertained some thoughts of befriending him earlier, this episode had completely extinguished that idea.
Even though shaman cultivators were rare, there was no need to waste time and effort on someone insincere.
Moreover, most cultivators who sought friendship with shaman cultivators did so for their mysterious, seemingly death-defying medical arts. But Chu Ran himself possessed an undying body. Since he couldn’t die, there was even less reason to go to great lengths to befriend one.
After all, neither shaman cultivators nor medical immortals in this world could cure his sickly, weak body.
After all these years and a series of events, Chu Ran had come to understand where the problem with his body lay. It simply wasn’t an issue that medical arts could solve.
Hearing this, a look of disappointment flashed across the tall, thin man’s face.
He pursed his pale lips and said, “You are the first person to show me kindness since I arrived in Central Continent.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to harm you,” he said.
He lifted his head, his eyes on Chu Ran, his hand holding the Lvluo Immortal Leaf stubbornly extended toward him. “You are my first friend.”
“To a friend, I… will not betray you. I swear this in the name of the Witch God,” the tall, thin man said, his pale, thin face wearing a stubborn expression as he looked at Chu Ran.
Upon hearing this, a subtle change flickered in Chu Ran’s eyes. His gaze turned scrutinizing, as if judging the truthfulness of his words.
In fact, Chu Ran knew he was telling the truth.
The Witch God was the faith of shaman cultivators. They devoted their entire body, mind, soul, and flesh to the Witch God.
In return, they gained powerful shamanic abilities to summon wind and rain and command natural spirits.
It could be said that the strength of shaman cultivators stemmed from their faith.
Since he had sworn in the name of the Witch God, it was impossible for him to lie.
But…
“I don’t understand,” Chu Ran looked at him, his tone cold. “Why?”
“I don’t think a stranger met just once is worth such a vow from you,” Chu Ran asked him.
The tall, thin man was taken aback by his words.
A long time later, he finally spoke, “Perhaps… because I’m tired.”
He raised his head toward Chu Ran, and a smile appeared on his pale, thin face—a pure, unclouded smile like sunshine breaking through dark clouds. “I also want to have a friend. I also want to trust someone… one last time.”
“I think you seem decent. You seem worth my trust.”
Chu Ran stared at him for a long time before saying indifferently, “Intuition can be deceiving.”
“Don’t place your hopes on others,” Chu Ran said to him, expressionless and cold. “That’s very foolish!”
“Do you know what you looked like just now?”
“It was as if… if I rejected you, you would go and die,” Chu Ran sneered. “Did you think that by acting this way, I would be moved by compassion and pity?”
“Others might, but I won’t!”
Chu Ran spoke with extreme** and heartlessness, “I refuse.”
“Carrying another’s hopes, being someone else’s reason to live… that’s too exhausting!”
*Damn it, I’m struggling to live myself!*
Hearing this, the tall, thin man’s expression froze.
His face momentarily went blank, probably because he had never encountered someone so** and unfeeling.
After all, as Chu Ran had said, few could refuse such a sorrowful, tearful plea.
The tall, thin man admitted that his words earlier were seventy percent sincere and thirty percent calculated.
He truly was tired. He was desperate to leave his past behind and start a new life.
Precisely because of this, he needed to establish himself in this brand-new world, in Central Continent, far from the shaman tribes of the west.
What could be a better tool to use than a young, naive young master from a noble family with a powerful background and backing?
—Both Young Master Zhao and the tall, thin man regarded Chu Ran as a formidable young master from an extraordinary, powerful clan.
Of course, the assumptions above weren’t wrong.
Except…
*His powerful backing was all ten thousand years in the future!*
Chu Ran had crossed over to ten thousand years in the past in an instant. He had no identity, no background, no sect.
He was essentially a person with “no connections, no background, no affiliations.”
All that could be said was that Young Master Chu’s extraordinary demeanor was too convincing, too good at bluffing.
Let us light a candle for Young Master Zhao and the mysterious shaman cultivator, the tall, thin man, who were so thoroughly fooled…
- Writer
