Chapter 9: Hu BaiShe
A few days passed, and Linfer remained in the same place, vainly attempting to sense mana.
"Damn! Where the hell am I?"
However, one day, he perceived a powerful presence approaching.
*Knock Knock.*
Linfer furrowed his brows, unable to stand or defend himself. He was already thinking of alternatives. "If it were an enemy, they probably wouldn’t have knocked," he reassured himself.
"Come in!" he ordered calmly.
A man entered, visibly nervous. His luxurious clothes were less impressive than Linfer’s. Moving slowly, he met Linfer’s stern gaze, which made him tremble before hastily kneeling, striking his forehead against the ground until it bled.
’ Is he crazy?’ Linfer thought, watching the man act so extremely.
"I apologize, young master, if I’ve offended you in any way. Please punish me, but spare the kingdom!" the man pleaded, fear visible in his trembling eyes as he kept his head bowed.
Linfer, impassive, remained silent for a moment. He sighed inwardly. *Even the sycophants who served Octavius Vamp weren’t this extreme.* He realized he held a status high enough to inspire such fear.
In a cold but calm tone, he declared, "Get up. Who are you?"
The man timidly raised his head, still kneeling. "I am Zi Jiang, young master..." he replied. Linfer, unsure of his usual behavior, chose to remain austere and nonchalant.
"Jiang, do you know who I am?" Linfer asked with cold indifference.
Zi Jiang nervously swallowed before answering, "How could a humble prince of a small, ignorant kingdom even compare himself to the young master of the Ancestral Hu family..." he stammered, his face paling further.
"Continue..." Linfer commanded.
Jiang cleared his throat before continuing, "I, who am but a toad at the bottom of the well, dare not use my title before the young master of the Ancestral Hu Clan (Tiger), an existence at the pinnacle of the younger generation of the Upper Realm..."
Seeing dissatisfaction on Linfer’s face, Jiang awkwardly tried to continue his praises, unaware that Linfer only wanted one thing: to know his own name.
At least, Linfer now knew more.
’ Always the Upper Realm, Lower Realm, and maybe the Underground Realm...’
Now that he had some information about himself, he wanted to know what a supposed supreme being like him was doing in this corner of the world.
"Anyway, I hope you’re not here just to flatter me?"
"I wouldn’t dare, young master. I come at the request of the young supreme, who wishes to speak with you. He awaits you in the inner garden."
"Who?" Linfer raised his eyebrows.
"Uh... the young supreme Xuan."
"Ah? Okay, tell him to come see me directly, if possible."
"Your wishes are commands," Jiang added before withdrawing.
A few minutes later, a teenager of about 14 entered. His shoulder-length black hair was tied back, and his demeanor reflected that of a young noble from a great family. His green eyes fixed on Linfer, then he sat opposite him.
"Big Brother Bai, I thought you’d decided to enter seclusion for several years," he said, smiling sarcastically.
’ Hmm... He’s young, but the aura he exudes is almost suffocating. Compared to Jiang, it’s a whole other level. And compared to the level I reached in my previous life... it’s simply ridiculous, not worth mentioning. But where did I end up...’
"It’s important to meditate to calm our minds, little brother. After all, I haven’t forgotten our main goal in coming here," Linfer replied, now bearing the name Hu Bai She, in his discreet quest for information.
"You, calm your mind? Haha, big brother, you’re the most restless young master of the younger generation. Haha!"
"..."
’ So, this Hu Bai was the turbulent type...’
"You seem a bit different, Big Brother Bai. Wait!"
Xuan Shen furrowed his brows, shocked. A slit opened in the middle of his forehead, revealing a completely green pupil. The young master froze, as if this eye was scrutinizing his soul directly, revealing all his secrets.
’ Damn! What kind of technique is this? I’ve been exposed so easily!’ Rather than panicking, Linfer was already thinking of ways to get out of this situation, but he couldn’t even speak, making his defense even harder.
Shen, his face serious, approached further, while Bai She’s back was covered in sweat under the intensity of Shen’s aura.
"Big Brother? So, you’ve already reached this level?"
"... Yes?"
"I suspected as much... Haha, even with the *Eye of Truth*, I can’t detect your power. You’re only a year older than me, but you’ve become so powerful! As expected of the heir of an Ancestral Family! Hehe. I can’t wait to see you compete with Brother Qing Long when we return to the Immortal Tao Sect!"
’ Powerful? You’re kidding, I’m weaker than a damn human right now!’ Bai She cursed inwardly while keeping a calm face.
"Qing Long, that brat? I doubt he could withstand three of my strikes."
"It’s strange hearing you talk like an elder of the sect since you’ve reached the Ashkharsh. But aren’t you underestimating Qing Long a bit? He’s still the son of the Celestial Dragon and the Matriarch of the Ancestral Feng Family, the Black Phoenix."
"Celestial Dragon and Black Phoenix? That reminds me of something..." Bai She murmured to himself.
’ Heir of the Dragon? Heir of the Phoenix? No, it can’t be...’
"The Black Phoenix, you mean the one who wields a flame?"
"The Flame of Destruction. But I don’t think Brother Qing Long possesses it, or she wouldn’t have hidden it during your last confrontation. To be honest, I think you could have won, because when Brother Qing Long used..."
’Flame of Destruction? Alderbaran?’
Shen continued talking, but Bai She was silent.
’ In my previous life, we spoke of mythical figures like the Son of the Phoenix, but now... There’s no doubt, I’m in the past? Probably in a much earlier era.’
Bai She closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.
’ So the heir of the Phoenix and the heir of the Dragon are alive in this era... But why, they have a son, instead of fighting to the death? Could it be an even more distant era?’
As he pondered the implications, Shen drew his attention again.
"What did you say?"
"That we should return to the Upper Realm as soon as possible?"
"No, before that."
"About the Devourer we came to hunt?"
"Devourer?" he murmured to himself. In his previous life, his law was *Devour*, and now he found himself hunting an alleged Devourer with his ’martial brother’.
’It seems I have a lot to discover before returning to the Upper Realm.’