Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Crow nodded lightly at Dao Ling and Luo Xinna; his eyes exuded nothing but coldness. “I won’t get overly involved. After the case closes, I will return behind the scene. I hope all of you understand,” he said in an awfully hoarse voice.
Dao Ling quietly sized up Crow, his tall and brawny figure, his posture of clenching the sword at his waist, and his always on-guard stance. All this was a telltale sign that Crow possessed a highly cultivated combat readiness.
A swordmaster? Luo Xinna’s eyes landed on the hilt of the sword on Crow’s waist.
“Besides,” Lin Sheng reminded, “Crow is also of level extraordinaire. If you encounter any threat or problem, you can tell me. If he is nearby, he could quickly render his support.” Blackfeather swordsmen were not of extraordinary level, but hazing into a plume of black smoke could evade bullets. To people in the real world, this ability was no different from level extraordinaire.
“I got it.” Dao Ling nodded. He still had doubt when Lin Sheng first told of the HQ, because there were just too many inconsistencies that reeked of a sham. But the appearance of Crow had utterly changed his opinion. A master extraordinaire was not someone whom one could make up out of thin air. He had only encountered a handful of masters extraordinaire in all his life. Yet the one appearing here was rendering his support to the Ironfist Society. When such a thing happened, it was hard to convince people otherwise that the Ironfist Society had no stronger backing.
“Then, I will first excuse myself.” Crow nodded at Lin Sheng. He then turned around, walked out the door and left the premise. His steps were feather-light and ghostly silent, drawing no whatsoever attention to himself. This formidable covert skill had Dao Lin and Luo Xinna watching in wonderment. They saw with their astonished eyes how Crow stealthily left the premise through the opened door.
“Then, we will wrap up the meeting for today. The division’s development needs a transition and stabilization period, and we are also severely short of manpower.” Lin Sheng said with a throaty voice. “After this incident, I need you all to step up your practice and transcend yourselves into level extraordinaire. And also not forgetting to invite more masters to join us.”
“Understood!” Luo Xinna knew that Lin Sheng was referring to him. Once meditating on the Ashen Seal, he would have to stay loyal to the Ironfist Society if he did not want to lose the power of the level extraordinaire. This would ensure his loyalty to the society. Furthermore, he and Dao Ling were close friends who intuitively knew what each other thought. He still had doubts about this little Ironfist Society when he first joined, but knowing the existence of the powerful HQ, he was totally convinced of his choice. Gone was his iffy feelings, replaced by eager anticipation and relentless curiosity, and topped with a rapidly increased sense of security.
“Now, go and prepare yourself. I will stand guard here these few days,” said Lin Sheng, his voice was low and calm. With Sacred Shield Tyrant guarding his house, he did not have to worry about his family. At least, a dozen mantis monsters were not even able to make a dent on Sacred Shield Tyrant. One of the Blackfeather swordsmen was guarding his family while they were outside. Another Blackfeather swordsman by the name of Crow was involved in the society’s affairs. So, Lin Sheng was left with no one staying beside him. “We seriously need more people…” But, he had a new plan.
As Dao Ling and Luo Xinna rose their feet and left the conference room with excitement spread across their faces, Lin Sheng had made up his mind to conduct a new round of summoning ceremonies as soon as he could. With the heavily armored soldiers, a spell caster, and lastly, the fire-spitting fat dude, he now was able to take in a higher load of summoned creatures. This time, he needed to select his targets carefully.
Lin Sheng did not stay in the society premise just yet. Instead, he had called a cab heading home.
His sis, Lin Xiao, and Chen Minjia’s eyes were glued to the idiot box. Plates of different dishes were still on the dining table. Lin Xiao was upset to see Lin Sheng finally came home empty-handed. “Did you not say you were going to buy some ingredients? Where are the ingredients? Sis Jiamin had volunteered to cook for us!” Lin Xiao was visibly angry.
Chen Minjia shook the water off her hands and said, “That’s okay. I just hope you two like my cooking. I’ve almost lost the skill after so long.” Wearing an apron, her face appeared flushed, seemingly a result of the grilling heat from the stove. Compared with the last time when Lin Sheng saw her, she looked livelier.
“It’s my fault.” Feeling a sense of guilt, Lin Sheng changed into his usual slippers and quickly went over.
“Come, sit down and eat. But you got to wash the dishes,” Chen Minjia quipped with a witty smile. On any other day, people’s eyes were on stalks to see this rare occasion. Nine out of ten people had never known Chen Minjia could be capable of smiling.
“Okay.” Lin Sheng quickly sat down. His bowl of rice had been prepared on the table. All he needed was to pick up a pair of chopsticks. Lin Xiao and Chen Minjia had eaten before. But the dish portions were a little large, the two girls had only nipped a little. Shredded pork with green pepper, black mushroom chicken soup, and stir-fried cabbage. The three dishes looked delicious and smelled awesome. Even the presentation was fabulously exquisite. Chen Minjia had turned what was only an ordinary home-cooked meal into a Michelin-starred culinary with her magic hands.
Astonished, Lin Sheng picked up some shredded pork and green pepper with his chopsticks and put them in his mouth. Crunchy and slightly spicy, the meat was fresh and tender. It was hard to nitpick on whether the texture or taste. “Awesome!” Lin Sheng nodded his head vigorously while reaching to pick up more of it.
Knowing that Lin Sheng enjoyed her cooking, the corner of Chen Minjia’s mouth slightly cocked up with a beautiful smile of satiation. “Then eat more since you like it. We two have had our fill.”
“All right!” Lin Sheng lowered her head and concentrated on the dishes. Quickly, he reached for the green peppers and shredded pork again, and before long, he had exterminated half of the dish. Lin Xiao could not bear to see her brother’s ravenous appetite. Especially after he started his physical training, he had literally become a ‘rice bucket’—term reserved for people with a scarily insatiable appetite.
Meanwhile, Chen Minjia looked on with a slightly twitchy smile. Before she knew it, Lin Sheng had polished off the remaining shredded pork green pepper dish, with Chen Minjia and Lin Xiao looked on with their eyes on stalks.
“Leave him to it, Sis Jiamin. We have reserved a separate portion for my dad and mom.”
“I just taste a little…” Lin Sheng tried to argue.
“You still have to nerve to say that!” Lin Xiao retorted.
Chen Minjia covered her mouth but still could not hold back her amused laughter.
While Lin Sheng was still on his meal and the two girls were giddily chattering, Chen Minjia suddenly received a call. She had to leave to attend to some business.
After the meal and cleaning things up, Lin Sheng learned the whereabouts of his parents through the Blackfeather swordsman. Knowing that they were safe, he went into his bedroom and drew out his bag from under the bed. He then made up an excuse and headed out the door.
He needed to summon more helpers as soon as possible. He preferred to call the monsters that he summoned as soldiers. These soldiers had the necessary basic level of intelligence, looked no different from any human beings. It was just that they had no free will, which meant they were like a computer, an existence wholly guided by some mysterious power through the ceremony to carry out orders. If Lin Sheng so wished, he could control the body and ability of these soldiers any time he wanted. As if programming a computer, Lin Sheng would be infused with their different memories and using these memories to control them.