Mu Tiannan shakes his head, “You are such an unlovely woman. Can’t you ever talk nicely?”
Wen Guanjing pulls Mu Tiannan aside, “Miss. Lin, you are a member of the Taoist School, and you must know what is going on in the department. We tried to protect Zou Yaowei before not because we saw human life as straw, but that we were out of options due to the short of hands.”
Lin Luoran asks seriously, “The pink smoke Zou Yaowei emits is clearly wicked. Are you not picky at all?”
Wen Guanjing is embarrassed, “Though his pink smoke is nothing good, it is quite powerful. Don’t you think so, Miss. Lin?”
Thinking of the pink smoke which can mess with people’s mind and disable them, Lin Luoran assumes that she may be defeated last night if she doesn’t have the bead. She can’t deny that—Zou Yaowei’s pink smoke is a powerful weapon when his enemy is unguarded.
Why is Wen Guanjing telling her about this?
“Mr. Wen, I’m just an ordinary woman and I can’t understand even a little bit of what you are saying. How about you just tell me your purpose today so we can discuss about it?”
Hearing Lin Luoran’s words, Wen Guanjing is stunned. Then he says seriously, “I shall just speak frankly then. Miss. Lin, your cultivation is deep and it’ll be a waste if you don’t serve our country. I come here today to invite you to join us on behalf of the department. Please give this a careful consideration.”
Invite me? Did I hear him right?
Lin Luoran casts a glance at Commander Qin, who also looks confused.
“Give me a reason why I should join your department.” Lin Luoran always behaves herself since she was a little girl, and she used to be moved by stories in the history book. However, only after she enters the society that she realizes that the State of Huaxia is no longer simple as it was first established. Wen Guanjing’s words that she should serve the country make her want to laugh.
Certainly, there are still lots of old revolutionists like Commander Qin who are respectable, but there are more corrupted officials… Why should she serve such a devastated country with enthusiasm?
It suddenly occurs to Lin Luoran that Wen Guanjing may think she is stupid.
“Mr. Wen, are you asking me to serve the country so that scumbags like Zou Yaowei can have a safer environment to indulge in dissipation and focus on accumulating their wealth?” Lin Luoran says with sarcasm.
Her words make Wen Guanjing awkward and Commander Qin sad. As for Mu Tiannan, he thinks that his usual behaviors are no better than Zou Yaowei except that he never breaks the law. Mu looks to the other way after hearing Lin Luoran’s sarcasm.
Wen Guanjing says with a heavy heart, “Miss. Lin, I have nothing to say to contradict the truth. I know you have learned from a master, and as cultivators, we are not meant to involve in mortal affairs… But the world is disordered. It is better to live a wonderful life than to cultivate hard and just live longer. Miss. Lin, common people make up for most of the population of the country. Please don’t say no to them! Commander Qin may know some inside stories about the flood in the year of 98, or the fact about that famous cult. The authority only tells part of the truth to fool its people… Foreign forces are involved in all of these. Not all cultivators are born in the State of Huaxia.”
The world is disordered?
Wen Guanjing actually says more than Commander Qin knows. Lin Luoran panics. Is it true that cultivators will also die in the end hundreds of years later…? Is it the real situation in the world of cultivation?
What about herself? Is it worthy to stick to the path of cultivation when she knows no spells and has no master to guide her?
Lin Luoran hesitates. She doesn’t even understand why she begins to cultivate in the first place.
Seeing that Lin Luoran falls into silence, Wen Guanjing raises his voice and calls, “Miss. Lin!”
Lin Luoran wakes up from her thoughts. What is happening to her? She is so disappointing for thinking of giving up! The world is short of Reiki, so what? She doesn’t have spells and masters, so what? She has the mysterious bead and the space, as well as the powerful gold pattern which she will one day figure out!
She is luckier than most of the cultivators, and she just actually wants to give up?
The world is disordered, and then she can cultivate herself without relying on the world! She should only follow her heart and she will live up to herself. Why can’t she find her own “Tao” since she has got the chance?
Lin Luoran feels that something just break through the soil in her heart. A seed finally sprouts.
From the choice she made when Baojia was hurt and Zou Yaowei was protected, to this very moment when she decides that she should find her own “Tao”, Lin Luoran’s state of mind has changed though she is still far from being mature.
The change from simple acceptation to active pursuit makes Lin Luoran’s overall temperament different.
Lin Luoran doesn’t realize this, but Wen Guanjing does.
He has fought with Lin Luoran last night. Though her cultivation is deep, she gives out an unapproachable atmosphere like an aloof bamboo instead of being deterrent.
Now, it seems that she just changes right in front of him. Her hesitations are gone and she becomes more like a sharp sword, which is powerful and intimidating!
Wen Guanjing is not sure he can escape unscathed if he fights with her again!
But he doesn’t concede. On the contrary, he is more determined on roping her into the department! The more powerful Lin Luoran is, the stronger the department will be. And they may suffer lesser loss in the operation half a month later. Wen Guanjing refuses to sacrifice any of his comrades in arms.
“Miss. Lin, I hope you can think about this twice.” Wen Guanjing tries to make himself sounds more sincere.
Lin Luoran frowns, “Let’s not start with my willingness. I’m not the strongest. Why it has to be me?”
Wen Guanjing is speechless. The special department wants Lin Luoran in not only because she is powerful, but also that they want to build connections with the school she is from, so that they can have more help when the secret place opens in half a month.
Since the special department knows Lin Luoran’s name, within four hours, her life experience shows up on a table in the department in the form of files.
There is no sign of cultivation in the first 27 years of her life. She seems to be a normal person who is reduced to be shamed by a rich lady in public.
However, in just a few months, she becomes a cultivator when she shows up in the capital. During the fight last night, Wen Guanjing can tell that Lin Luoran’s cultivation can only be deeper than his.
Her level of cultivation is not amazing, but what is surprising is the time she takes to reach the level.
Wen Guanjing remembers the silence of the minister after looking at Lin Luoran’s file. Later, the minister said, “bone marrow cleansing”… Wen will never forget his astonishment back then. He was born in a family of cultivators for generations so he was familiar with this term.
“Bone marrow cleansing” seems to be three simple words. However, in this age when magical restoratives are rarely seen, a cultivator must be in the level of Bearing Essence to cleanse the bone marrow of a mortal— Nobody has ever heard about any cultivator in this level since the last one died in the late Qing Dynasty.
Still in shock, Wen Guanjing asserts that it is impossible.
The minister shook his head and answers, “Maybe it is.”
If there is a cultivator in the level of Bearing Essence living in the world, he shouldn’t be from a thousand years ago because his lifespan can’t be this long. Thus, there is only one explanation. This cultivator has advanced himself after the mass disappearance in the cultivational world!
Let alone how much help a cultivator in the level of Bearing Essence can offer, the rank he stands for will intimidate lots of people… Reaching the level of Bearing Essence is the hopeless dream of so many cultivators, and a master in this level is close at hand…
He has to rope Lin Luoran in!
******
Lin Luoran has no idea that the special department of the State of Huaxia has associated her with a mysterious “master” in the level of Bearing Essence after studying her file all night. Even if she knows, Lin Luoran will not try to explain anything for the sake of the safety of her family and friends— To explain is like to tell everybody that she is a moron.
Wen Guanjing can hardly retain his composure when Lin Luoran just stays in silence.
“Miss. Lin, as long as you join us, we’ll see you as one of our own. We’ll provide convenience if you have any demands.”
Lin Luoran says with a faint sense of sarcasm, “Like what? If I want to punish scumbags like Zou Yaowei, you will help me tie him up?”
Wen Guanjing nods, “He has broken the law and he deserves all the punishment.” Cultivators always care little about mortals, especially those who come from families of cultivators for generations. They can hardly understand why Lin Luoran is being so stubborn for Qin Baojia, a mortal.
If he knew that bringing Zou Yaowei up would make her agree, why did he take so much trouble? For the first time, Wen Guanjing begins to have doubts about his IQ.
Meanwhile, Commander Qin, who has been listening closely, is calculating the pros and cons for Lin Luoran.
Mu Tiannan can’t help twitching the corner of his mouth. Certainly, patriotic sentiment cannot move this woman!
Lin Luoran smiles and stares at Wen Guanjing with burning eyes, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You must have other reasons in roping me into your department with such benefits. I hate people who deceive and take advantage of others. Mr. Wen, let’s just stop beating around the bush. How about you tell me the whole story? Then I can think about it.”
