153 Chapter 152: Blood Blades shenanigans (2/2)

”You'll see what I mean in a couple of days' time. Just wait for the email tomorrow.”

”Hey! Don't leave me hanging! Tell me what you mean!”

”Exactly what I said.” My grin widened. ”We'll be receiving our individual battle-automata in two days' time, and First Elder Hai Mo will be personally teaching us how to inscribe our own personal Spirit Engravings into them.”

”Are you fucking serious?!” Tong Xue almost shouted. I winced as I covered my ears defensively to prevent myself from becoming deaf.

”If you don't believe me, you can just wait for the email tomorrow. The First Elder will provide all the details then.”

”But…but where did he get all the battle-automata from?” Tong Xue spluttered, still mired in disbelief.

Smiling, I shrugged. ”Well, I wonder?”

*

As he promised, Elder Hai sent out the mass email to all the Blood Blades, and Elder Zhao managed to recall all of them – even those who were supposedly out on a mission. Those who were too far away or couldn't make it back in time for the lessons would receive their own battle-automata and be taught by the Blood Blade elders at a late time, when they returned to Tushan City. Fortunately, over 95% of the members were present for the lesson on the third day.

Yeah, yeah…I could hear the complaints from certain people beyond the fourth wall. Like how I was stupid for selling the battle-automata at a discount instead of making as much money as I could. Not everything had to be about the money. In fact, that was the fucking problem with the previous timeline. Too many people were overly obsessed with money, and capitalism had pretty much ruined our world by stressing too much on profits.

And then there would be those fourth wall-ers who cursed me for being stupid not to hoard the entire army of battle-automata to myself, never mind that it would take me years, or even decades just to inscribe the Spirit Engravings necessary to restore and reactivate them by myself. They were used to cliché xianxia stories with overpowered Mary Sue protagonists who were special snowflakes that monopolized all the cool stuff like symbol puppets and divine weapons, and couldn't stand the idea that I was sharing the battle-automata with my comrades instead of keeping them for myself. It was unfortunate, but I was not a special snowflake. I was just a normal guy, with a few lucky encounters (granted, most normal people wouldn't get a chance to learn Heaven and Earth Formula), but I wasn't such a special existence that only I got dibs on all the cool stuff and monopolized them for myself.

That was reality for you. Many people might need some getting used to, but the fact was that no one was special, nor did the entire world revolve around any one of us. I knew for sure that I was nobody special.

”Wow, you were right. I don't believe it.”

Tong Xue was still gaping at me as we left the apartment complex for the Blood Blades to walk toward the main sect hall. Lady Hai Rong stayed true to her word and reserved the entire place for us. I later learned that she was part of the Blood Blades as well.

Was it my imagination, or were all the wives of the legendary blacksmiths and Spirit Engravers of the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect powerful warriors? If that was the case, then the example of me and Tang Qi Hong would be an anamoly because we were the direct opposite of that. Not that we were officially a couple, but I could hope. Maybe.

Still, this was quite the surprsing pattern. Or perhaps it was normal for this world, and I was too hung up on toxic masculinity from my previous timeline. Damn it, and I was supposed to be an advocate for gender equality.

No, I am an advocate of gender equality. Just because I acknowledged that gender inequality and discrimination existed didn't mean I didn't advocate gender equality. Particularly because Tang Qi Hong revealed to me the existing patriarchal prejudices of the male Great Elders against having a female blacksmith take over as the Sect Leader…

”How did you know?!” Tong Xue was demanding. I shrugged, trying to resist the mischievous smile that was threatening to spread across my face.

”I just do.”

”Come on! I'm supposed to be the one who gathers intelligence here! That's my role!”

”Then I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later.”

”Ugh…!”

Ignoring Tong Xue's howl of frustration, I proceeded across the open plaza in front of the main sect hall and toward the huge entrance.

However, before I could cross more than ten paces…

”!!!”

I suddenly sensed an aggressive surge of qi. Someone struck me from above, to the right, and I spun around and parried his punch with my palms. The ground beneath my feet shattered from the impact, but I dug my feet in firmly, refusing to budge.

My assailant suddenly twisted around to kick my head, but I immediately ducked, allowing his foot to sweep past above my back. My opponent then spun around in midair before delivering an axe kick, but I was already moving, my legs vanishing into a blur as I executed a footwork technique.

Boom!

His kick pulverized the plaza, driving a crater in the formerly pristine marble ground.

”!!!”

He then whirled around and brought his arms up, crossing them defensively before I kicked him. The moment my foot collided with his forearms, a maelstrom of qi erupted around us and we were consumed by a golden conflagration.

Flipping myself up, I landed on my feet a few meters away. My opponent lowered his arms and shook them as ice began to rapidly freeze over them. With a yell, he shattered the ice that encased most of his body.

I was about to dash forward with Jin, but he quickly held up his hands in surrender.

”You win,” Pang Feng told me hurriedly.

”That remains to be seen,” I replied coolly as I massaged my leg. ”Your Golden Indestructible Body Formula is as impressive as ever. I almost broke my leg kicking you.”

Pang Feng grimaced. ”I could say the same. It's clear that you've gotten a lot stronger again. My arms are numb just from blocking your kick.”

”Are you sure it's not just from the cold?” I teased with a grin. Pang Feng smiled wryly.

”It's both. That's why it's my loss. Your technique clogged up my qi circulation…I expended a lot of qi just to expel the ice – otherwise I'll only be able to fight with half my power. Even then, I don't think I have enough qi to fight you in a battle of attrition.”

”I'm sure you do,” I assured him. Pang Feng laughed.

”Perhaps, but I can't waste too much qi on exchanging moves with you. Don't forget we have Spirit Engraving lessons after this. First Elder seems to want us to do our best in learning how to control battle-automata today.”

”Ah, yeah…that's right.” I nodded. Tong Xue quickly stepped in.

”Yeah, so let's leave it at that for today.” He turned toward Pang Feng and shook his head. ”Though, that was one hell of a greeting.”

”Is it? I thought it was normal.” Pang Feng scratched his head, looking a little sheepish.

”It is,” I assured him.

Pang Feng had joined the Blood Blades shortly after me and Tong Xue. With his talent and immense power, he had no difficulty in passing the examination for the Blood Blades. Similar to Tong Xue, Pang Feng had joined the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect solely to protect his younger sister, so that she could forge Spirit Artifacts at east while he watched over her to ensure no danger befell her. And the best way to do that was to be a Blood Blade.

Tong Xue and Lian Rou. Pang Feng and Pang Yun. Tang Qi Hong and me. Every one of us had our reasons for taking on whatever role we did in the sect.

In any case, Pang Feng and I surprisingly hit it off when he joined the Blood Blades. Probably because we were closest in age and power levels. No, I don't know what stage or realm he was in, and I didn't care, but we could have close exchanges and balanced duels without one-sided results. As such, Pang Feng regarded me as a valuable sparring partner. I was flattered, but I would very much prefer not to get attacked every time he saw me.

Nonetheless, I knew that he held no ill will against me. Come on, dudes. I'm a nice guy. Why the hell would people hate me for no reason? This wasn't a xianxia story where every single character the protagonist ran into would hate him for some inexplicable reason and try to kill him just because he ”offended” them or ”didn't know his place.” Yes, Pang Feng attacked me, but that was because he knew I could take care of myself and block his attacks. He sparred with me in order to improve his skills, not because he intended to kill me or ”teach me my place.”

In reality, nobody attacked others for ridiculous reasons like that. Yeah, bullies existed, but even bullies picked on people they know to be weak, and not attack some random stranger for ”offending” them or ”not knowing hs place.” And often, it was only the protagonist these characters attacked. I hardly thought the protagonist was the only one who offended them or not know his place, but for some reason they were obsessed with the protagonist and only the protagonist. And even though they were potential enemies, they would gang up and attack the protagonist because…well, he was the protagonist.

Just look at the Heavenly Fiend Sect, Violent Saber Sect and Spirit Hidden Sect from Eternal Reverence. Even though they were hostile toward each other and practically enemies, they practically forgot about their enmity toward each other and ganged up to kill Li Fu Chen just because…well, he was the protagonist. Honestly, there wasn't any real reason for them to gang up and try to kill him – he didn't do anything significant until they attacked him for no reason other than because they were the antagonists. And when he repelled them effortlessly like the God Mode Mary Sue that he was, they all decided to gang up on him because he was ”too strong” and they were too worried about him becoming a massive threat in future, and so were determined to ”eliminate” him before that happened. Never mind that Yan Qing Wu was also a Six Star Bone Frame who posed the same amount of threat. But no, nobody cared about her because she was not the protagonist.

The lack of logic was baffling.

Ahem…in any case, what I meant to say was that Pang Feng and I got along very well and were actually good friends. Expecting him to be yet another arrogant young master who was hostile and jealous of me for no reason other than because I was a protagonist was downright unrealistic and ridiculous. Besides, I wasn't the protagonist. Zhu Jiao was.

Furthermore, it wasn't as if I went around ”offending” every single character in a story just so they had an excuse to ”kill” me to the point where they mobilized their entire sect and all of their resources just to eliminate an insignificant guy like me, which in turn justified me razing their entire sect with my super-thick plot armor. Again, that was just absurd.

”So it's just us Blood Blades who's learning how to control battle-automata? What about the inner sect disciples? Wouldn't it be more convenient if the inner sect disciples had a battle-automata or two standing by as their bodyguards?”

Pang Feng sounded confused as the three of us approached the main sect hall together. I shook my head.

”Battle-automata require a lot of qi to maintain. Unless we have a limitless supply of qi, or can freely get artificial qi for cheap from Wu Ling Academy, they make poor bodyguards. Trying to keep them activated and active 24/7 is a good way of bankrupting yourself.”

”Yeah, I heard that they use Pure Yuan Pills to power themselves,” Tong Xue added. ”We can replace that with modern artificial qi, but even synthesized artificial qi is not cheap. We can't just keep buying it from our academy.”

”I see.” Pang Feng looked disappointed for a moment, but he then brightened up. ”That means Liang Shao Yang won't be getting any then. That's good.”

Pang Feng didn't get along with Liang Shao Yang. I remembered how the latter ticked off the former about a year ago. With his arrogant, callous attitude and habit of looking down on others, Liang Shao Yang made very few friends in the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect. Actually, besides Hu Mei Er, I doubted he had any friends at all.

In fact, Liang Shao Yang made a lot of enemies during his time in the Nine-Tailed Fox Sect, which was another reason why he shouldn't be the next sect leader. But most of the Great Elders were blind to that.

And Hu Mei Er counted as his lover rather than his friend. Given her character, though, I wouldn't be surprised if she was with him more because she received benefits from being in a relationship with him than any real love on her part.

Furthermore, with his brutal murder of Hao Ying – or at least the rumors – everyone stayed far away from him as possible. Too proud to approach others of his own accord (except Hu Mei Er), he kept to himself most of the time. Well, to be more accurate, he spent most of his time with Hu Mei Er, and Hu Mei Er alone.

There were rumors that the two of them had quite the active…sex life, spending most of their days practicing double cultivation. Since that actally boosted their cultivation and made them both stronger, the sect elders actually encouraged it instead of disapproving it.

Seriously, though, it was none of my business what the two of them did in their private time together. I was vaguely curious as to why Hu Mei Er had yet to get pregnant, but that was the extent of my interest. Well, she'll only become pregnant when the plot needs her to be, but not before then.

”Yeah.” Tong Xue shuddered at the thought. ”I don't want to imagine what Liang Shao Yang will do with them if he gets his hands on them.”

”No doubt use them for nefarious purposes,” Pang Feng muttered darkly.

”Oh! You guys are here too! You're early!”

Just before the three of us stepped through the automatic sliding doors, a familiar voice called out from behind. We turned and caught sight of Tang Qi Hong running up to join us. She beamed cheerfully, which caused Pang Feng to blush a little.

The guy also viewed me as a love rival, but he was never overt about it or gave me any trouble over that. Instead, he treated it as friendly competition. As I said, he was a decent person and a good friend.

”Eh? What are you doing here?” he asked nervously.

”Same reason as you! For the battle-automata lessons!”

”Huh?” Tong Xue looked confused. ”I thought the battle-automata are only for the Blood Blades. How did you get in?”

Tang Qi Hong smiled mischievously. ”Wu didn't tell you? I bought a few battle-automata from him, and I asked Elder Hai for permission to join the lessons so that I can control them.”

”Bought…from him?” Tong Xue turned to me, annoyed. ”What is this about?”

”You mean…the battle-automata all originally belonged to Wu?” Pang Feng asked, trying to wrap his mind around what he was hearing.

”Huh? You really don't know?” this time, Tang Qi Hong was genuinely confused. ”Fei Wu is the one who acquired all the battle-automata. He found them in the Nascent Soul Stage practitioner's tomb last week, and brought them back to the sect. he was even willing to sell them all to the sect at a discounted price, and Elder Hai decided to assign them to the Blood Blades. I bought a few of them before he sold them to the sect.”

Tong Xue gaped at her for a moment, and then couldn't help but yell, ”EEEEEEEEEEEEH?!”