The First Legendary Demonic Scholar
Chapter 60: The Mind Games
Candy looked at him in suspicion. If he had climbed the mountains as he said, there would be cuts and marks on his body. "You don’t look like someone who has been through so much."
Shen Yuan pointed at the cloths lying on the table with his eyes and said, "Check them. I had to eat wild plants growing on the side of the mountains, and one of them healed my wounds and helped me break through."
A look of understanding appeared in the woman’s eyes. "Ah, I see. There are many spirit herbs around the mountains. You must have encountered one of them."
Being an alchemist, she knew of such herbs, so Shen Yuan’s excuse worked.
When she saw her robes, her last doubts disappeared. It was covered in dirt and cuts all over.
She did not even feel like touching it.
"What happened to Peng Ho?"
"He went beyond the clouds. I think he is dead." Shen Yuan shrugged before glancing at the system’s screen from the corner of his eye.
[STR: 87] [AGI: 89] [Dex: 94]
’The effects are going to reduce from here on. I wonder if I will be able to reach the goal on time?’ Shen Yuan zoned out while Candy was saying something.
"Are you hearing me?" Seeing the lost look on his face, she frowned. "I am asking something?"
"What?"
"What are you going to do from here on out?" She asked again, and Shen Yuan started to think.
"What did you tell Overseer Jiang?"
"Nothing, just that you went out on a personal mission from me and that you will stay out for a while. I was going to tell him the truth once the deadline of this year arrived."
"When is the deadline?"
"In five days."
"Hmm. I will go and report to Overseer Jiang and ask him for a new house, preferably one not near the edge."
Candy hummed in response before suggesting, "You could always stay here. But you will have to pay because The Oiran won’t let us do it otherwise."
"I don’t have the money, and besides, I don’t want to trouble you." Shen Yuan refused her offer instantly. "I have to get back to train outside. I don’t have many days to breakthrough."
Candy pursed her lips in a thin line. "Very well. I know you are already on the verge of breaking through; I can sense the qi around your body. You should be able to do it at any time."
Shen Yuan did not say anything.
He was staring at Candy. More exactly, he was staring at the space between them. Ever since he had left the mysterious space below the mountains, Shen Yuan realised that the mores of light were everywhere.
Even outside that place.
’So, this is qi.’ While he reached his realisation, Candy blushed, seeing Shen Yuan ’staring’ at her so intently.
"Hurry up and get out. You must be starving. I will get someone to deliver the food to us." Saying that, she turned around and ran out of the bathroom.
Inside her bedroom, Candy suddenly paused and thought, ’wait, I forgot to check the most important thing.’
She shook her head in disappointment before she walked out of the room.
...
After staying the night at Candy’s place, Shen Yuan returned to his district first thing in the morning after being away for a whole month.
The first thing he did was to collect a week’s worth of wood and take to the warehouse.
The manager was surprised to see Shen Yuan. He wanted to ask several questions about his whereabouts, but seeing the cold look on his face, he decided to keep them to himself.
The next thing he did was to visit Overseer Jiang, who was in the mission hall.
Like always, he was reading a smut book with his legs crossed over the table.
When he sensed a familiar presence, the man raised his head only to freeze for a second.
But he acted like nothing happened and asked with the same mocking tone, "Would you look at that? The prodigal servant returns. Where did you run off to? Did you know what happened to your house?"
"That is why I am here today." Shen Yuan gave the same excuse Candy had given to the overseer, sticking to the story. "I want a new house?"
"What would you do with a new house for just five days? From what I can see, I might not even need one after that." Shen Yuan understood that the man was openly saying that he would die in 5 days, but there was nothing he could say.
"How about this? You come and live with me. It will be fun."
Shen Yuan doubted that would ever happen even without seeing the lecherous grin on his face. ’Wasn’t he thinking about baiting some senior sister a while ago? Where did the sudden change in orientation come from?’
"Don’t look so eager. I am just joking.’ Before Shen Yuan could reply, he spoke again. "There is no way I would want to live with another man. I only have eyes for senior sister Yu.’
Shen Yuan did not laugh at his joke, but the man did not seem to mind it. "Here you go. This will be your new home. Cherish it while you have it."
Shen Yuan took a thick metal key and walked out while still feeling the dark look from the Overseer.
’I can sense emotions from other people more deeply now.’ The emotions Shen Yuan sensed were confusion, anger and lust from the man.
These were the only ones he could sense, as they were the most pronounced of the emotions.
"Why would he feel anger towards me?" Shen Yuan soon found himself standing in a familiar lane. "Is this some sort of a joke?"
The new house overseer Jiang had assigned to him was the one directly opposite to his old one.
’Is he trying to play mind games on me?’ To remind someone of a dangerous event daily, Shen Yuan had to admit, the overseer was cruel. ’It seems he is not buying the excuse. But then again, what can he even do without evidence?’