Chapter 14 - The Truth Comes Out
2264 Words
*Splash
After donning his birthday suit, Zheng Jin dove on the water head first, making large waves at the otherwise calm and peaceful waters.
"Ahhh, that hits the spot."
After a rather stressful encounter with the Vile Nightviper, Zheng Jin breathed a sigh of relief. His hard work had just paid off, and now, he was one step closer to achieving the goals that he had set for himself within this forest. He intended to take this bathing time as a way to relax, ignoring the fact that he just took a bath earlier.
"Alright then. Time to get another skill!"
At last, the time has come for Zheng Jin to do the thing he had been looking forward to earlier, and that is, of course, using the skill [God's Generosity] to obtain a 5★ skill or attribute. The thrill in using this skill is really great for him that Zheng Jin almost forgot that he almost died in collecting the points needed for it. If he doesn't watch out...he might just get addicted.
Zheng Jin then clasped his hands expectantly as he activated the skill, his eyes completely focused on the window that just appeared before him.
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
Congratulations, you have obtained the 5★ skill:[Flicker]
Skill Description: A lesser variant of the 8★ skill [Teleportation], [Flicker] gives the user the ability to traverse small distances instantaneously.
The skill consumes 50 [???] for every meter traveled by the user, with the limit being 10 meters at the skill's maximum level. After using the skill three times, a cooldown of five seconds will be applied.
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
"Ah! Finally...the gods hadn't abandoned me after all!"
Upon seeing the skill that he just got, Zheng Jin couldn't help but exclaim in awe. Finally, a very useful skill had landed in his hands! Not even counting the battles, Zheng Jin immediately thought of the countless ways he could use this skill. For subterfuge and for escaping, very few skills exceeded this skill's utility!
Though it is a shame that he still did not possess any spirit energy, which, he was pretty sure was the unknown parameter in the skill description, he still acknowledged having a good skill on him; unlike the pitiful one that he got on his first day in this world. After defeating the next opponent that he had set for himself, it seems that he would have to get to the Awakened Mortal Realm pretty soon...
The reason for Zheng Jin's excitement is that it was actually the first time he learned a skill besides the elementary skill [Enhance Physique] he was almost sick of using.
In this life, he wasn't burdened by the curse of having only a single mana point, despite having a prodigious affinity for the fire element, might he add.
Flashing a grin on his face, Zheng Jin silenced his thoughts, not wanting to remember the distant past. He decided not to ruin the mood, considering that he had just gotten a great skill after all.
"Haaah, what a-"
Zheng Jin was just about to praise the wonderful day he just had when suddenly, he caught the hurried sounds of what seems to be...footsteps.
Without hesitation, Zheng Jin lunged at the swords that he had placed just a few meters away from him. Unfortunately, he would not be able to make it, as the stranger had already revealed herself just before he made it out of the water.
"Zheng Jin, is that...you..."
"Ah?"
With a confused face, Zheng Jin muttered the only word that popped into his head. It was because the "stranger" that had just shown up was someone he wouldn't ever have anticipated to see.
...
".....AHHH!!!"
Looking at the familiar pink colored hair, Zheng Jin was dumbfounded he regarded Bai Shuanyang, whose face was now as red as a beet.
"You...what are you doing here?"
Forgetting that he was as n***d as a newborn, Zheng Jin moved closer and closer to the surface with his upper body now exposed; eager to get some answers out of his stalker, Bai Shuanyang.
"S-stay back...y-youu...you p*****t!!!"
Realizing his mistake, Zheng Jin recoiled as he saw Bai Shuanyang pick up a pebble, aiming it at him while trying not to look at the same time.
"Wait! I-"
Unfortunately, before Zheng Jin could calm the flustered maiden down, the pebble had already sailed through the air, hitting him right on the nose.
"Ow! W-wait, where are you going?"
Zheng Jin clutched his bleeding nose as he looked Bai Shuanyang's back, his other hand outstretched towards her.
It seems that everything good that happens to him had a price, and the price that he paid for the great skill he just got was his nose...and his dignity as a man...
"Ah...goddammit..."
With nothing else to blame for his misfortune, Zheng Jin decided to flip the bird towards the heavens, as he thought that the old farts that lived up there might be having a great time watching him now.
...
...
...
"I-I'm sorry...about your nose..."
After a while, Zheng Jin finally had caught up to Bai Shuanyang, seeing her waiting for him under a tree near the waterfall.
"Haha, do not fret, Lady Bai Shuanyang. I am completely fine"
Zheng Jin put on a smile as he shrugged. He could only hide his mild frustration and embarrassment regarding the matter.
"I was the one who was caught stark n***d, girl, not you... How come I am the one with a bleeding nose? And all that for seeing half of my body..."
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Now he didn't know what would be worse: being caught peeping on a girl while she bathes or being caught by a girl while taking a bath himself. The outcome for both of them would probably be the same anyway...
"On another note, may I ask what brought you here, Lady Shuanyang?"
Zheng Jin pushed all the other matters on the back of his head, as he remembered something that he needed do urgently. He needed to get some answers from this girl.
"I-I was just hunting demon beasts near this area when I happened to hear something from the waterfall earlier. And it turns out to be...just you. And as for me seeing you, i-it was just a coincidence...that's all!"
He watched as the girl's expression change from bashfulness, to confusion and panic. It seems that as good as she was in throwing pebbles, she was equally as horrible in telling lies.
"Nice try... I'm not letting you off just with that silly story of yours."
Zheng Jin thought as he kept the smile on his face, slightly unnerving the girl in front of him.
"That's strange, Lady Shuanyang. I am quite sure I heard you call out my name earlier. Well, it's either that or I must be hearing things haha..."
"Ah, t-that might be right, Zheng Jin. Y-you have been training in this forest for way too long, after all...I advise you to get out of this dangerous place at once!"
Zheng Jin was surprised by the girl's reply, as she actually told him to stay away from the forest, with a badly disguised look of concern in her face. How adorable, he thought.
Besides that, however, there was one more thing that piqued his interest from her words just now.
"Oh? It is indeed very nice of you to warn me Lady Shuanyang, but I am curious...how did you know that I was training for a long time in this forest?"
Following Zheng Jin's reply, an awkward silence filled the surroundings, followed by a shaky reply from Bai Shuanyang.
"Ah...Y-you mean...I-I meant that I...I assumed it was so!"
With a concealed sigh of relief, Bai Shuanyang finally let out a reply. She wasn't done, however, as she quickly added:
"What else would a disciple of the sect be doing in here? Now, please follow my advice and get out of here already! Do you hear me Zheng Jin? Your current strength is not enough for you to survive alone out here!"
At the girl who is adamantly insisting on getting him out of the forest, Zheng Jin kept a straight face and answered:
"As much as I appreciate your kindness, I am telling you now that I have no intention of returning to the sect anytime soon..."
Hearing Zheng Jin's reply, Bai Shuanyang could not help but let out a hint of anxiety in her face. Before she could say something, however, Zheng Jin spoke first.
"...Though I would like to ask you one thing. Why do concern yourself as to what happens to me? As far as I know, you are ranked 3rd in the outer disciple rankings; whereas I am the last person ranked in it..."
Zheng Jin spoke non-stop, not letting the chance to confirm his suspicions about the girl slip by. The smile that was on his face a moment ago was gone, replaced by a gaze so sharp that it could pierce through a person's soul.
"Why is it that a person like you, whom I have heard is currently a princess of a kingdom far away, would express even a little bit of concern towards me, a so-called " trash" of the sect?"
Facing Zheng Jin's questions, Bai Shuanyang was so surprised that she couldn't even utter a single word as a response.
Following Bai Shuanyang's silence, Zheng Jin finally decided to take a huge risk and ask the question that was bothering him since his encounter with her in the sect's library...
"If you are not willing to answer my questions, then I shall waste no more time and ask you the only question that matters...I could tell that you already know that I have lost my memories, and I need you to tell me...
Zheng Jin then narrowed his eyes, looking straight at Bai Shuanyang as he asked:
"...who are you?"
...
At Zheng Jin's sincere question, Bai Shuanyang could not help but avert her eyes from him, with the shock of Zheng Jin finally admitting that he doesn't remember anything reverberating inside her head. Her mind was in conflict at what to say next, as whatever word that comes out of her mouth can affect both of them greatly.
"I...I do not know what you are talking about, Zheng Jin. Please...do not waste any more time in this place and go back to the sect immediately..."
In the end, she decided that him not knowing of their past was for the best, as it would only bring back the grief and pain that she could only hope was already gone from him after all these years...
"I shall be taking my leave then..."
After a disappointing reply from Bai Shuanyang, Zheng Jin watched as she turned and walked away from him, wanting to get out of this place as fast as she could.
Not being able to restrain his irritation, Zheng Jin suddenly grabbed Bai Shuanyang's hand, preventing her from going away any further. Ever since he was a child, there was just something about people turning their backs on him that he absolutely hated, though he did not know what the reason for that was.
What's more, Bai Shuanyang is the only person he knew that could help him know everything about who he was before, and this might be the only opportunity he had in doing so.
"Wh-what are you..."
Feeling Zheng Jin's gentle but firm grip on her hands, she could not help but feel bad with her decision to deny Zheng Jin her answer. Who knows what Zheng Jin could be feeling right now, not even remembering the person that he despised the most...
"I cannot let you go until answer m-"
Zheng Jin was just about to convince her to stay when something had caught his attention.
...
He looked at the little blue flowers that adorned Bai Shuanyang's pure white robe, reminding him of something he had almost forgotten.
Zheng Jin then let go of Bai Shuanyang's hand, a bright smile on his face now slowly returning as he said:
"You didn't tell me that your hobby was carving words on trees, Lady Shuanyang..."
The sudden change in Zheng Jin's attitude confused Bai Shuanyang, though his words just now made her heart skip a beat.
"How could he possibly..."
"It was your robe that gave you away, if you're wondering about that."
Bai Shuanyang then looked at her robe, the reason why Zheng Jin knew what he did finally appearing on her mind.
Surprising Bai Shuanyang once again, Zheng Jin suddenly put a fist front of his chest, and bowed slightly towards her.
This was a gesture that Zheng Jin had learned in his old world, though what it meant was still something that Bai Shuanyang could understand.
"Please forgive me for losing my composure just now, Lady Shuanyang. Furthermore, you have my gratitude for saving my life back then. I would very much like to know just who my benefactor is, if you would be so kind..."
Zheng Jin then lifted his head as he looked at Bai Shuanyang, flashing an even brighter smile that somehow sent a chill down her spine.
"Let's see how you get out of this one, princess..."
- Writer
