An awkward atmosphere hung over the living room. Due to biological reasons, Sakura failed to impersonate the uncouth man to the extreme. Actually, what Sakura had achieved was already very good, but the issue was that she happened to have been pitted against the eagle-eyed Xia Fei, which was why she ended up getting seen through.
Hearing his deductions, Sakura no longer said a word. Her lips pouted as she dejectedly drew little circles with her finger.
After some thought, Hyacinth asked, “How did you find out the fact that my house is actually hidden in the bamboo forest?”
Xia Fei replied, “I just applied common sense. Since Hyacinth is a top-class impersonator, it doesn’t seem appropriate for your house to be situated so obviously by the roadside. It simply doesn’t align with the habit of hiding that any master of disguise will have. Meanwhile, my discovery of the real house in the bamboo forest has been completely accidental. I just felt that the bamboo forest was too dense and green, different from elsewhere. I only realized the mystery behind it after pulling it all down.”
Hyacinth nodded his head repeatedly as he said, “In order to use the bamboo as part of the disguise, I utilized the Law of Matter and moved them from elsewhere, so their roots were slightly damaged. To fool others, I added some nutrient solution to them. I never expected for those to end up becoming self-defeating moves on my part, causing the bamboo forest where my compound to be overly verdant, ruining its beauty. I’ll be sure to bear Brother Ah Fei’s words to mind.”
Hyacinth’s wife, who was sitting next to him, was also full of praises, marveling at Xia Fei’s sharp observation skills and analytical mind. Sakura was very dissatisfied, however. With her arms akimbo, she contemplated something unknown.
“It really gave me a fright when you went and jab that dark-red dagger on my girl. The impulse you showed had me convinced that you’d really kill her,” Hyacinth jokingly commented when he saw that the atmosphere was easing.
Xia Fei shook his head. “I wasn’t threatening her then. It’s only when Miss Sakura used the Law of Matter’s escape technique that I dismissed the thought, seeing how immature and unthreatening that move was.”
Everyone was startled. Hyacinth asked, “Do you mean to say that if the impersonator threatened you in any way, you would kill them there and then?!”
“Indeed. Whoever impersonated Seth could be an enemy, and I’ve never had the habit of letting my enemies off scot-free,” replied Xia Fei evenly.
Seth’s expression went blank. His master’s killing intent was truly intense! As such, if there was ever a day when he did something untoward to Xia Fei, he would definitely not let him off!
Sakura was slightly dazed. It turned out that her immaturity had saved her life. Had her mother or father been the one impersonating Seth, the result…
“You… You’re too ruthless!” Sakura yelled bitterly at Xia Fei before she dashed out of the room.
Hyacinth somewhat awkwardly apologized, “Sakura’s been pampered since she was young. I hope that you won’t take offense, Brother Ah Fei.”
Actually, his thoughts were not too far off from his daughter’s. He felt that Xia Fei was too ruthless, killing just because they were potentially enemies without any room for discussion.
“I wonder just why you came looking for me this time?” Hyacinth asked.
Xia Fei cupped a hand over fist. “I’ve long heard of your reputable name as one of the top impersonators in the Exiled Grounds. Respectfully, I wanted to come for a visit. Indeed, I do have some matters that I need your aid with; I want you to make a trip to White Horse Constellation on my behalf.”
Hyacinth nodded. Xia Fei’s first two lines of flattery made him feel very good, but it was still far from fostering any sense of kinship between the two.
“Ah, yes. White Horse Constellation. That’s a major base of the humans from the God Race, a strictly guarded location with many families and clans. We of the Purple Blood Rockies are said to look very similar to humans, and it’s said that we can be considered distant relatives in the distant past. I wonder if Brother Ah Fei has heard of this?”
‘What a transition!” Xia Fei was somewhat disappointed. Hyacinth had not mentioned Xia Fei’s request but, instead, changed the topic of conversation to the similarities between Purple Blood Rockies and humans. Needless to say, he must be unwilling to lend a hand.
“The rumors can’t be trusted, but it is evident that Rockies and humans share certain similarities.The blood of humans is red, which is why people of my species are all radiant and rosy. Meanwhile, people of your species have the rare purple blood, with even purple irises, giving off a more mysterious aura than humans. Aside from that, there’s really not much difference between us,” Xia Fei casually noted.
Rockies and humans really did look alike, having the common five senses and orifices on their faces, different from Lionhearts like the old demon Oro. Lionhearts were all big and tall with a full body of golden fur, along with hundreds of differences that were noticeable from a mere glance. In contrast, there were only those handful of differences between Rockies and humans that could not be identified without close scrutiny.
They chatted without Hyacinth returning to the topic at hand and Xia Fei felt restless, so he attempted to pull the conversation back to White Horse Constellation.
A fairly troubled expression appeared over Hyacinth’s face as he heaved a deep sigh. “Brother Ah Fei may not know this, but though Hyacinth used to be in the line of impersonation, matters between the two peak races have turned tense in recent years. There are rumors that a war between the two is imminent and that the defenses are also becoming stricter.
“If Brother Ah Fei wishes to ask us to infiltrate the lesser regions of the two races, there can still be room for discussion, but White Horse Constellation is a core constellation of the God Race, where the capital of the humans is situated. Not only will one need to be extremely skilled at subterfuge, the necessary official documentation and DNA authentication are also required. This is truly a tall task.
“There are specializations in every field. As the two tribes here in Exiled Grounds who are expert impersonators, while Shepherdians specialize in attacking the God Race, we the Rockies specialize in the Demon Race. If you wish for us to infiltrate White Horse Constellation, it’s simply not what we are good at.
“I heard that the Shepherdians had found several methods to do so during the years, able to get into the core regions of the God Race undetected. It’s not too long ago when they actually received a huge contract to stir trouble in the Dragon Ascension Conclave. Brother Ah Fei must know that Dragon Ascension is the premier martial hall of the God Race, wielding extraordinary strength. The fact that the Shepherdians accepted such a mission is evidence of the abilities they possess.
“In order not to cause unnecessary delays to Brother Ah Fei’s task, I feel that it is more suitable for you to seek the Shepherdians, instead. After all, they are the ones who specialize in infiltrating the territories of the God Race. It’s not that Hyacinth doesn’t wish to help, nor that we are afraid of accepting your task; it’s just that I don’t wish to hold up Ah Fei and his task any longer than necessary.”
It was a good explanation from Hyacinth that did not make them lose face and also cleanly rejected Xia Fei’s request. Simply by stating that it was not their specialization to target the God Race but rather the Demon Race, he smoothly directed Xia Fei to the Shepherdians.
…
Sakura was feeling madder by the second after she left the room. Xia Fei seeing through her impersonation skills that she had been so proud of was one thing, but the fact that he was actually going to kill her with that dagger before? This was a huge blow to the fourteen-year-old girl.
A young lady would often see the world with optimism, and that the future was filled with hope. Sakura could not fully grasp the darkness of the outside world, and just how Xia Fei’s ruthless personality could take shape.
Sakura was quite stubborn, and it was difficult for her to change her mind after having decided on something. At present, she saw Xia Fei as an extremely evil person, a hateable and diabolical villain.
“Sakura, who is it that provoked you again? Look at you being all furious. Come, let your grandfather help stand up for you.” Sakura had been hiding in the bamboo forest by herself when an elderly man and a young man approached her.
The elder had thinning white hair, leaning on a walking stick, looking like he was having difficulty with every step he took. The young man next to him looked to be about the same age as Sakura. He had thick bushy eyebrows, looking exactly like the teenager that Hyacinth had previously disguised himself as, except that this was the actual person.
“Grandfather.” Sakura pouted, acting like a spoiled child as she ran over to the old man to give him a hug and bury her face into his robe.
“Someone bullied me, and father and mother didn’t help me, either.”
She was undoubtedly worthy of being the offspring of impersonators; Sakura acted pitiful so well that people would have trouble not sympathizing with her. Her voice was soft, yet all the words she spoke penetrated like knives into people’s hearts.
“Sister Sakura, just who bullied you? Brother Sambo will help teach that person a lesson for you.”
The teenager said while blushing hard. He appeared to be slightly shy, acting very unnaturally when he saw Sakura, his thick eyebrows twitching.
Hyacinth was an organization, and the people who were part of the organization more or less had close ties with one another. The elderly man was Sakura’s birth grandfather, the famed impersonator of Exiled Grounds called Otter.
In the past, the purple blood Rockies enjoyed acting alone, and although that made it convenient for them to hide their whereabouts, it made it difficult for them to accomplish major contracts, and it was very limiting.
Sakura’s father, Hyacinth, had plenty of foresight. He believed that if the Rockies steadfastly continued abiding by this rule, it would only be a matter of time before they declined. As such, they must change this situation, coming together to create a formidable team of combatants, utilizing a combination of everybody’s strength and characteristic to handle larger and more complex missions.
Hyacinth gathered his fellow Rockies and told them of his idea. Naturally, the traditionalists among them strongly opposed it. Even Hyacinth’s father did not agree, arguing for three days and three nights before they came up with a compromise. They would first experiment this idea with Hyacinth and his wife before they discussed the matter if it proved to be effective.
As such, Hyacinth and Poria began performing a variety of missions together, and having an additional capable helper was as good as growing an additional arm, hardly ever redundant. When the people of their tribe saw the benefits, they were no longer against the idea and gradually requested to join the organization.
With Hyacinth selecting only the most elite individuals to join his organization, and his more than decent management skills, the name of Hyacinth slowly spread, becoming a golden plated name brand. His asking price rose with this as well, and what Seth said about Hyacinth commanding a price of three hundred grade 4 crystals daily was true ten years ago. In the time since they last met, he was unaware that the price had already risen by a whole tenfold! The price was now at three thousand grade 4 crystals a day!
As for the other impersonator tribe, the Shepherdians, their violent and brutal characteristics and the bad habit of consuming other sapient lifeforms meant most people were unwilling to hire Shepherdians in most cases. Only those who were looking to induce destruction to the targets would hire the Shepherdians. Just like what happened during the Dragon Ascension Conclave, it was a case of utter devastation and there was hardly much technical expertise in their attempt at subterfuge.
The benefits of Hyacinth’s organization expanding were apparent. There would always be someone ready to begin taking on a mission once it got accepted. Every aspect like the set-up during, the extraction after, who would be in disguise, who would be dealing with combat, would be delegated accurately by their leader. This was also how they achieved a 100% success rate with their missions.
If Xia Fei could convince Hyacinth, not only would he get just Hyacinth alone but the entire elite team, which had not failed even once in twenty-five years! Just this point alone made the daily three thousand grade 4 Origin Crystals price tag nothing too outrageous.
“You must be referring to that young man who came today. He’s pretty good, with quite the eyesight and deduction skills. If he nurtures his skills accordingly, he may even become an even greater impersonator than your father,” the elderly Otter stroked his beard as he said this, seemingly having found Xia Fei to be rather admirable.
Miss Sakura got even angrier when she heard that Xia Fei could be even better than her own father. That was when an idea came to her.
“Actually, I feel that Ah Fei has quite the talent to have been able to see through father’s subterfuge. I’m just mad that he speaks bluntly,” Sakura muttered, pretending to be aggrieved.
“What did he say?” Otter curiously wondered.
“He said that Hyacinth isn’t worthy of his name, that he failed to even trick an outsider like him, thereby unfit to call ourselves impersonators.”
Sakura was watching her grandfather’s expression as she said this. To nobody’s surprise, Elder Otter’s purple face instantly turned stern! His long silver hair stood on end as he bristled.
“What? That’s really too much!” Otter bellowed with rage.
*Snap*
That walking stick in his hand broke as Otter said to the teenager Sambo, “Go and gather our men! I’ll let this Ah Fei know just how the legend of Hyacinth’s twenty-five flawless years came to be!”
