Another World Trip: Journey with My Cat and an Otaku Loli Goddess Chapter 361 - Emerald Providence

He then charged back inside before a bellow shook the rickety house.

“Get your ass in here!”

****

Silence quickly settled in after this. Everyone and I mean everyone’s brain stopped working for a good few seconds when it happened.

They all knew that the Ren’duans possessed odd and eccentric personalities, but this was too much, no?

Not even Mina was ready for that shift, and she dealt with Long Di on the daily.

“What are you waiting for!? Get in here!”

“L-Let’s just get inside,” Violet Flame Noble advised.

“Her alone fire brat!” the voice came out once more.

Xiannu Liang quickly became nervous when she heard this. It was obvious to everyone that Zhong Ping was referring to her when he said to get inside.

She saw how everyone was looking at her with jealousy and envy. However, she couldn’t care less what they were feeling.

This place was extremely uncomfortable for her. The fire energy was thick, and it felt exceptionally stifling to a Nymph like her.

Moreover, this Ren’duan knew exactly what she was. She was well aware that her identity as a Nymph placed her in a lot of danger in the outside world.

However, it was Long Di’s power that she relied on to travel without hiding like this. But now Long Di wasn’t here.

With all that in mind, how could she enter this place alone?

“It’s fine,” Violet Flame Noble came up beside her. “A Ren’duan wouldn’t invite you into his house if he had any ill will towards you. You can enter with peace of mind.”

Despite getting this vote of confidence from Violet Flame Noble, she still felt reluctant to go alone.

“I’ll follow you,” a sweet voice that seemed to drift from a dream entered her ears and she looked to see Shen Ling beside her.

Violet Flame Noble was shocked and frightened to see her as he forgot about her existence almost entirely… again!

Even Xiannu Liang jumped when Shen Ling’s hand landed on her shoulder.

Shen Ling appeared to be shimmering somewhat. It was almost like she was covered in an undulating screen of mist. Her face, in particular, was completely obscured, and her presence was even more so.

Despite him looking at her, he couldn’t sense her. It was truly a weird sensation.

Regardless, he put all this aside and made sure to warn her. “I don’t think that’s a good ide–”

“It’s fine,” she said with a smile.

He didn’t know how, but he could tell she was smiling somehow and it made him blush all the way to his neck.

In truth, he had never seen someone as beautiful as Shen Ling before and he was glad that her presence, for the most part, was so unremarkable, which was remarkable in itself considering how beautiful she was.

Nevertheless, he was glad for this aspect of her because he didn’t want to have any inappropriate thoughts about her.

Shen Ling didn’t care to wonder what Violet Flame Noble was thinking as she grabbed Xiannu Liang’s hand and walked toward Zhong Ping’s abode.

“We’ll wait for you out here,” Violet Flame Noble said to them just before they stepped inside.

“!”

Both Xiannu Liang and Shen Ling were shocked as soon as they entered as they realised that Zhong Ping’s house was much larger on the inside than it was on the outside.

It was like a giant armoury of sorts. The walls were metal and a magnificent forge lay at the back of the room.

Weapons of all sorts lined the walls, and they all gave off incredible pressure. Xiannu Liang saw some weapons that possessed a devilish bloodlust, others gave off a chilling, killing intent.

It wasn’t easy for her to walk amongst such weapons. The sheer number of them made their aura even more pronounced, and it was like they were competing with each other, which caused their auras to be even more domineering.

“Hurry up! I don’t have all day!”

Xiannu Liang jumped when she heard the yell and she quickly strode along with Shen Ling in hand.

He was at the back of the room sitting on a cultivation mat with his forge behind him. The doors of his forge were open but there was no fire within.

Xiannu Liang was glad that it was unlit, but as she got closer, a dreadful heatwave wafted over that stopped her in her tracks.

“Come!” Zhong Ping barked at her. He sat on the cultivation mat with an annoyed expression.

Xiannu Liang struggled to take another step forward, but she felt Shen Ling squeeze her hand and she dug deep to find the strength to continue.

When she was finally near enough, Zhong Ping subtly nodded before he waved his hand, causing a sitting mat to appear before her.

She sat down without a word and was pleased to find that the heatwave she felt before was all but gone. The only reason she was able to bear this was due to Phoenix’s Heart which she wore as a hair ornament.

“Hmph! That trash from before dared to say that he was built different, but he failed my trial! Yet a Nymph passed!” Zhong Ping said with an upturned look. It was like he tasted something sour but didn’t spit it out.

“Senior–”

He suddenly yelled. “Call me Zhong Ping!”

Xiannu Liang fiddled with her fingers before saying “Senior Zhong–”

“I said, Zhong Ping!” He spat.

Whoosh!

The flames of his ‘forge’ spread out and headed for Xiannu Liang before she could even try to defend herself.

Curiously, the flames parted just before they approached her like there was a force field erected before her.

She then looked at the mat she was sitting down on in deep wonder.

He quickly recalled his flames after a moment.

“… Z-Zhong Ping,” Xiannu Liang said after a while. By his voice, Xiannu Liang could tell that this Ren’duan was up there in age. She didn’t know why he insisted on her to address him so familiarly and informally.

“Were you kidnapped!?”

“I—I… Wha–”

This question came out of nowhere and left Xiannu Liang a stuttering mess.

“Answer quickly!” Zhong Ping yelled at her. “These bones are old, but I can still rough up someone!”

Xiannu Liang didn’t know why this person sounded like any old ruffian and not like what she thought a Ren’duan was supposed to be like.

“N-No… I mean, not now. B-But I was–”

“Out with it!” Zhong Ping’s patience was getting thin.

Xiannu Liang took a moment and a deep breath to collect herself. After that, she explained everything that happened from her sneaking out of the core area of Emerald Forest to her being kidnapped by a Demon before she was found half-dead by Long Di.

Zhong Ping took in everything she said while nodding now and again.

When she was done, he asked her. “Does he treat you well? He doesn’t bleed you dry?”

Shen Ling, who was by Xiannu Liang’s side, found this question odd. Why would Long Di bleed her dry?

However, Xiannu Liang answered all the same. “No… he doesn’t.”

“How is Emerald Forest?” He finally asked. Now this question truly did puzzle her.

Why would a Ren’duan care about Emerald Forest? As far as what Violet Flame Noble told them, no Ren’duan was allowed to leave a Ren’duan Dwelling.

Not only that, though Ren’duan Dwellings existed in many places, there was no Ren’duan Dwelling near Emerald Forest. So there was no need for a Ren’duan to bother themself with such a remote and faraway location.

“I—It’s fine. They should be busy getting ready for Ghostfire Woods to open,” she said after a while.

“I see. What about the Forest Mother?”

“You know my mother!?” Xiannu Liang was shocked to hear this.

“So you are her daughter,” Zhong Ping put away his displeased expression and took up one that spoke of deep longing.

Xiannu Liang quickly shut her mouth but Zhong Ping chuckled before it erupted into raucous laughter.

“You needn’t worry. You won’t be harmed here. Is your mother alright?” He asked once more.

Xiannu Liang nodded.

“Good!” Zhong Ping slapped the ground three times in joy. He then took out what appeared to be a long rope before throwing it towards her.

Xiannu Liang hurriedly caught it before looking at it in confusion. By its smell and texture, she realised it was a vine. It was completely green and was bereft of any bumps or leaves that would mark it as a vine.

“What is this?” she asked, looking up at Zhong Ping.

“It’s called Emerald Providence,” Zhong Ping declared. He then said, “Try injecting some of your spiritual qi into it.”

Xiannu Liang did as she was told and instantly, glowing green vein-like lines ran the length of the vine before thorns jutted out from all over.

At the same time, a fearsome aura exploded from it.

Both Xiannu Liang and Shen Ling were surprised at the power of this weapon.

“Se–”

“You really want me to be a woman beater AND child beater don’t you!?” Zhong Ping asked.

“Zhong Ping, I can’t accept–”

He waved his hand, silencing her. “Shut up and accept it. This is fate!”

Seeing that she was unable to reject it, Xiannu Liang bowed and cupped her fist towards Zhong Ping for his gift.

As soon as she placed her spiritual mark on it, the thorns receded and it turned into a crown of vines. Flowers of different colours also sprouted in some places and powerful life energy erupted from it.

“Heavens!” Xiannu Liang wasn’t expecting this.

Zhong Ping told her. “It’ll also help in your cultivation as well.”

“Thank you so much, Zhong–”

“Alright, get out!” Zhong Ping got up and collected some materials to get to work on forging.

Xiannu Liang was lost for a moment before she felt Shen Ling’s hand on her shoulder and she got up to leave.

Even so, she bowed in Zhong Ping’s direction once more, saying. “Thank you, Uncle Zhong Ping.”

She then hurried out and left with Shen Ling.

Zhong Ping's eyes stayed on her as she left.

“It’s been a long time,” he said to himself.