Wu Long did not know what that was, but what he could infer was that Nie Changsheng was not exactly a 'natural' born soul. He also thought that the feeling of incongruity that Wu Long felt from seeing him was most likely caused by this.
He did not get this feeling when he looked at Ye Ling or Wu Mengqi, and not even Butler Bang. On the contrary, they gave of a feeling of natural belonging in his world. The only one who gave him this eerie and uncomfortable feeling was the man who had perished in the strike of Heavenly Punishment. Like a foreign entity that did not belong.
"Heh, there's nothing to see here anymore. Sorry for the disturbance"
Wu Long brightly smiled as he turned to the group of heavenly beauties that had now all assembled with worried expressions on their faces.
Wu Long noticed that Shen Min turned to her lighter side, but it seems that was done not voluntarily this time since the Gong sisters she was testing were not around anymore so there was no reason for her to do so. It was most likely an instinctive reaction of not wanting to possibly face a scary reality.
He affectionately smiled at her, reassuring the beauty that had hidden in the shell who he knew was watching from deep within her eyes.
Hua Ziyan's eyes were red as she looked at him with worry, but still stood behind the others as her old habit of pushing down her desires surfaced once more. He shook his head with a wry smile and beckoned to her, and she timidly came closer but could not hold on and ran the last few steps. He gently patted her on the head as she embraced him, slightly trembling.
Wu Mengqi hugged him next. Her embrace was still gentle as she, like Hua Ziyan, feared to pain him since he was injured, but it still betrayed the fear to lose him again.
He reassured as he saw Wei Lan, Cao Xiang and Cao Mei stare at his charred arm with unmoving gazes.
"Wu Long... can we help... heal it?"
Luo Mingyu asked with a trembling voice as she came closer, the only one who could not hold in her tears as she looked at him.
"Mingyu, I will be fine, really. In fact, I might have even gained something very valuable"
Wu Long chuckled as he looked at the crispy black skin as thin electric snakes were dancing around it.
Luo Mingyu widened her eyes as she looked at him and then his arm. He nodded, as she was the one who most intricately understood his cultivation techniques, even if he was not able to pass some of them down he still explained the concept of how they worked to her for reference.
The worry in her eyes slightly subsided as she understood that the situation was still within his control, and as long as it was so, there was no need to panic.
"Hah, worrying about gains at such a time, I take my words back, you haven't changed at all"
Ye Ling shook her head with a wry smile and Wu Long laughed as she looked at him with a light rebuke for worrying them all so much. From the previous sentence that he said, she understood that he was not caught up in the strike, but did what only a madman would think of in that split second, he deliberately absorbed some of the Heavenly Punishment lightning and sealed it in his arm.
It was a tiny strand, but it was not something that he should normally be able to endure.
At the same time she admired the audacity of his action. Heavenly Tribulation and Heavenly Punishment were something that caused primal, uncontrollable fear in all living creatures, as it was the manifestation of the very Laws that governed this universe and everything within it. It was the will of the Heavenly Daos.
Wu Long's action was akin to blasphemy to many, but at the same time cultivation itself was a defiance of natural order, so it was behavior that drove the world of cultivation to what it was today.
The manager of the inn arrived with the workers a few minutes later, his clothes, which were usually impeccably worn, haphazardly thrown on in a hurry.
Wu Long wryly smiled as he shrugged his shoulders. Old Yen nodded and went off to the side with the manager, wrapping his arm around his shoulder and soothing him as a spatial ring with money in it appeared in his hand while Wu Long was accompanied by his beauties to go to the area their rooms were in.
Butler Bang went off, and soon blood started to flow in the night as the assassins that saw an opportunity in this sudden turn of events decided to strike only to be met by a Butler with the words "Young Master is busy right now".
What Butler Bang did not know was that the more dangerous assassins even he would have trouble with were currently in an alley a bit further away, facing a red-eyed beauty who was standing in front of them, her skin was slightly wrinkled around her narrowed eyes and nose letting them know that she was gleefully smiling underneath the silver mask that covered the lower half of her face.
Her black hair swayed in the wind and her elegant figure was shown off by the moonlight behind her as she stood on the roof, looking down at the five expert assassins below. The five standing below knew the silver mask with the demon design, and what organization it belonged to. Even though they never heard of one covering only half of the face, their eyes and faces shown fear.
"I-if he is your target we will of course give way to your esteem-..."
One of them gulped and started saying but a tinkling laughter cut his words off as Hong Ye narrowed her eyes.
"Hahahaha~ so many contenders to see my gentlemanly handsome man~, and here I thought I would be the only one to sneak a peek on this beautiful night... hahahaha, oh well, I am satisfied since I caught a glimpse of him..."
She slightly paused as the vision of his muscles and torso that were revealed as his clothes were torn flew through her mind and she slightly salivated.
"And now he's gone to rest again so I'm bored~ Hmm~ what to do, what to do? Oh! Ahahahaha! I got an idea!"
She skillfully played with a dagger as she turned sideways and started walking from side to side on the roof she stood on. And then, as if a bolt of lighting struck again, she stopped with an enlightened look in her eyes, and a delighted laughter brought chills to the souls of the five assassins below.
One of them sensed something, but was too late as a red line of Spiritual Qi passed through his throat and Hong Ye appeared from a cloud of black smoke, squatting behind him while finishing a motion with her dagger.
"Hahaha, why run? We're having fun, no?"
She gleefully laughed as shivers went through the others and they scattered in different directions. They fled for their lives but they still all could hear a laughter from behind them.
"Hahaha, oh, I see, we're playing 'catch me'? Or 'hide and seek'? Whatever it is I am the "it" hahaha, one~, two~, three~..."
As she counted the four assassins felt like their souls were freezing from fear.
"Screw that! I haven't been paid for this!!!"
"Damn it! Fuck that broker!!"
They shouted as they continued to flee, and one who tried to hide gave up when he heard 'hide and seek' since she was so far away and yet still noticed his attempt. They fled utilizing all of their skills, but alas, none of them were seen after that night as they were swallowed by the darkness of this night.
Some time later, Hong Ye stood on the roof, wiping her dagger with a cloth that she discarded when the slightly curved blade clearly reflected the moon.
"Haa~ I want to see him again, but if I don't get back soon Sister's going to catch me sneaking out. Oh well, I guess I will see you later, m-y d-a-r-l-i-n-g~ !!!"
She sighed and then looked in the direction of the inn as her red eyes shined with a strong light of a certain emotion.