A soft blue light gathered around Nian Bing’s hands after completing the chant. In an instant, his hands had become pure white like jade as they undulated with waves while pressing down on Ru Yi. A while light hovered around Ru Yi’s fair and well-developed body. Under the effect of the white light, Ru Yi’s wounds immediately stopped bleeding. Nian Bing closed his eyes and let the warm water element flow out from his fingertips. When he felt that the holy water spell was complete, he moved both of his hands over Ru Yi’s wounds. A milky white water replaced the redness of the gashes as the viscous of the holy water completely healed the horrible looking injuries. Very soon, the milky white fluid had completely filled the wounds. You could almost see the wounds being healed with the naked eye.
Breathing in deeply, Nian Bing felt tired. After all, he had just used several strong magic spells in succession, which took a high toll on his magic power. “It’s done. Help your sister into her clothes, but don’t move her too much, and let the holy water and her wounds completely fuse. That will probably take half an hour, then you can take her back. Don’t worry, the holy water spells is a rank 5 healing magic. It’s used to treat internal injuries. For normal injuries like this it is too extravagant, but the wounds won’t leave any scars. Let your sister sleep well and she will wake up tomorrow, completely recovered.”
When she heard that even scars wouldn’t be left behind, Ru Meng’s eyes were immediately filled with gratitude. Finally, she believed completely that Nian Bing didn’t have any hostile intentions. “Mister Magic Reaper, thank you. On behalf of my elder sister, I thank you. If there is ever the chance later, I will definitely repay you.”
Nian Bing replied with good humor, “What is there to thank. Don’t forget that your sister tried to harm me. I hope that she’ll learn a lesson from this. Mistress Ru Meng, what sort of trauma did your sister experience?”
Ru meng hesitated for a moment, but when she saw Nian Bing’s crystal clear gaze through the mask, a feeling of trust inexplicably welled up within her heart. She sighed, then answered, “It’s like this. When my sister was seven and I was five, our parents died due to an epidemic. Ever since we were little, Big Sister was extremely strong. In order to take care of me, she went to the main roads to beg. At that time, she was just like a boy, surrounded by other beggars of her age. Everyone tried to bully us, so Big Sister became extremely hostile towards others. When Big Sister was ten years old, we were taken in by our benefactor. Our benefactor provided us with warm clothes and foods and also taught us skills, giving us the opportunity to shine. Mister Magic Reaper, please don’t ask about who we are affiliated with. Even if we were to die, Big Sister and I would definitely not sell out our benefactor.”
Nian Bing smiled slightly and said, “I have no interest in that. I just want to know what kind of trauma your elder sister experienced previously to be so hysterical.”
A trace of tears could be seen in Ru meng’s eyes. “Among the orphans that our benefactor took in, there was an extremely outstanding boy. He looked very handsome, his personality was gentle, and his abilities were nothing short of remarkable. At the age twenty, he already reached the unprecedented realm of a great swordmaster. At that time, our benefactor had said that one day, he would definitely become a martial saint. At that time, I was fifteen, and Big Sister was seventeen.
“I don’t know exactly when it happened, but Big Sister was secretly love in him. She never confessed and buried her love deep in heart because Big Sister knew that he liked the benefactor’s daughter. Our benefactor’s daughter only came to visit once a year, but he would be happiest at those times. Big Sister admitted to herself that she had no way of comparing to our benefactor’s daughter, so she could only bury her feelings. Finally, two years ago, when the benefactor’s daughter visited again, he couldn’t take it anymore and confessed to the benefactor’s daughter. However, he was rejected mercilessly, without any room to save the situation. At that time, he received a very large shock and went out alone to drink. Worried about his state of mind, Big Sister followed.
“That night, they didn’t return home. Although Big Sister won’t say anything, I could guess that that something had happened between them. From then on, they had established a relationship with each other. I was very happy for Big Sister, but I always sensed that something wasn’t right. That year was that happiest year Big Sister had experienced since birth. They lived together, carried out missions together. Birds fly and nestle together. Big Sister, besides not forgetting to take care of me, did not care about anything else.
“It looked like Big Sister was happy, so I could not bear to say too much. I could only silently pray and hope that my intuition was wrong, but things never turn out the way you want. After they had been seeing each other for an entire year, the benefactor’s daughter once again returned. The outstanding him, actually was still the same as before and held feelings for the benefactor’s daughter. Nothing had changed from before; the benefactor’s daughter still didn’t care about him. When the benefactor’s daughter came, Big Sister and him had their first fight. I clearly remember how fierce their fight was. I worried about Big Sister, so I hid under the window to listen. Big Sister interrogated him on why he still hadn’t forgotten our benefactor’s daughter, and he mercilessly hurt Big Sister. He said to Big Sister that the thing between them was just about desires and not feelings, that Big Sister was just the benefactor’s daughter’s substitute. That it was just an investment for his feelings. He also said that he would only love the benefactor’s daughter his whole life. Even in the future, if he were truly involved with my big sister, he would only love the benefactor’s daughter.
“Big Sister is a stubborn person. From that moment on, her heart died. She didn’t say anything more because he was someone the benefactor valued. My sister had murderous intent she needed to disperse, so she asked the benefactor for an outside assignment and came here. With the identity of a prostitute as cover, she continued to help the benefactor.
“I think that if it weren’t for repaying the benefactor, Big Sister would have thoughts of committing suicide. I have seen her many times, with her back towards me, crying as she looked out at the night sky. Big Sister is truly suffering! Tonight you should protect your friend from entering into whorehouses. He is really too handsome, even more handsome than Big Sister’s past love. There is some similarity between his gentle smile and that person, so Big Sister couldn’t control herself and wanted to kill him. Mister Magic Reaper, in place of my sister I apologize to your friend. Please take pity on Big Sister and forgive her. From now on, I will definitely persuade her from doing stupid things.”
After hearing Ru Meng’s narrative, Nian Bing’s heart shuddered slightly. Every person has faced their own hardships. If comparing his story to Ru Yi and her sister’s, he was even slightly more fortunate. His eyes fell on Ru Yi’s somewhat pale face. She seemed as if she already wasn’t that ill. Any traces of hatred had already disappeared from Nian Bing’s heart; he sighed lightly and said, “Sorry, Mistress Ru meng. I didn’t know that your big sister had experienced such a rough life. It should be me who is apologizing to her; I sincerely wish that she can find a good place to return to. However, please pass on to your sister that handsome men aren’t necessarily terrible. At least, my friend isn’t. Okay, let’s bring your sister back now. I will escort you now, but be careful from now on.”
Ru Meng carefully picked up her sister, and with Nian Bing’s escort, they returned to the city. When they finally arrived at the whorehouse, Nian Bing quietly left. At the moment, the sky showed a sliver of dawn. Without any hurry to return to the inn, Nian Bing found a quiet corner and took off his Magic Reaper outfit and sat down, cross-legged. He sent his spirit outwards While sensing everything in his surroundings, he slowly recovered his magic power. Although his recovering speed was slower like this, but by sending out his spirit, he was prepared to sense anything that happened in his surroundings. Thus, this way was safer.
When Nian Bing felt that the main streets started to fill with people, he awoke from his meditation. The Ice and Fire Source’s special characteristics had made his magic power recovery quicker. At the moment, he had almost returned to his optimum state. Standing up, he brushed off the dust on him. He should return right now. He believed that right now, Ru Yi had already awoken, but he didn’t know how her body condition was. This was the first time that he felt guilty that he had used magic to injure someone, because he felt extremely sympathetic to Ru Yi’s situation. After all, he had experienced a similar misfortune.
Nian Bing determined the direction of the inn as he walked along the main road, but he was not in a hurry. The food he had eaten last night had almost all been digested, so he prepared to look for a place where he could first stop his growling stomach. He would just let Xue Jing wait; the more she had a poor impression of him, the higher the chance she wouldn’t bother him anymore. Thinking this, he simply slowed down his steps. There were many places to buy breakfast, but with just a simple glance, Nian Bing could tell that the masters of these breakfast shops possessed no skill. However, right now, he just wanted to eat something. He randomly chose an establishment that was clean and sat down. He ordered a bowl of rice, two mantou, and a dish of pickled vegetables. These basic dishes wouldn’t be too bad.
While eating the food, Nian Bing looked out at the street and saw a store selling kitchen utensils across the street. Right now, he had a space ring so he didn’t need to carry his belongings himself. Since it was like that, couldn’t he buy some kitchen tools and put them in his space ring? Having just a kitchen knife isn’t enough. Besides roasting, he couldn’t use any other cooking methods. Right, he would buy kitchen tools. If he also bought some ingredients while he was at it, it would be a lot more convenient for him. Nian Bing sped up the movements of his mouth. After he had stuffed his stomach to the brim he immediately crossed the street and walked into the kitchen utensils store.
The kitchenware store looked very clean. The walls on either side were hung with every kind of kitchenware divided by category; it should be complete. Although they weren’t top quality items, they were good enough for ordinary cooking. A forty-plus-year-old, short, little man greeted him and said, “Sir, would you like to buy some kitchen utensils? We have everything here, so feel free to choose as you like.”
Nian Bing randomly picked up an iron pot and rapped his finger against the surface, making a clear sound. He looked at the grain of the steel and could not help but shake his head. The quality is too bad. If I use just a bit of the strength of my fire magic, it would not definitely be damaged. The short man looked at Nian Bing’s unsatisfied expression and hurried to say, “Sir, if our ordinary goods do not enter your eyes, I have some good ones here.”
“Oh? Okay, then let me see a full set of your finest so I don’t have to see them one by one.” Nian Bing didn’t have such grand hopes. He only wanted kitchenware with somewhat good quality steel and toughness so it could bear the force of his Ice and Fire Source Magic. The short, little man replied, “As it would happen, I have a full set of a genuine Sky Spring Pavilion kitchenware. Please wait a moment.”
Sky Spring Pavilion? This was a name that Nian Bing had heard Demon Chef Zha Ji say before. In Zha Ji’s description, Sky Spring Pavilion was presently one of the best workshops for making kitchenware. The kitchenware that they made was extremely hard, with good quality steel, could endure wear and tear, and protected against rust. Although they weren’t exactly designer, good tools like theirs were hard to come by. Good chefs, for the most part, used the kitchenware they made. Due to the extremely well-known name of the Sky Spring Pavilion, the prices for their goods were comparatively exorbitant. One item could cost several gold coins while a full set would cost several purple-gold coins. Ordinary kitchen implements would only cost two to three silver coins for a set; a Sky Spring Pavilion set was a hundred times more expensive. However, Nian Bing didn’t care about money. If the shop owner here truly had quality products produced by the Sky Spring Pavilion, he wouldn’t be stingy. As the saying goes, an artisan needs the best tools to do the best work. For chefs, the better the kitchen utensils, the more he can bring out his ability when he cooks.
In just a moment, the short man came out carrying a pile of boxes taller than himself, looking like he was exerting much effort. He placed the boxes onto the ground and somewhat breathily said, “See, sir, these are all quality products made by the Sky Spring Pavilion. Although the price is a lot higher, these are definitely worth the price.”
Nian Bing stepped forward curiously and opened the topmost box. The only thing that he saw inside was an iron pot. The pot was completely grey, but on the bottom there was a rhombus imprint with the words Sky Spring Pavilion in it. This pot was obviously much deeper than the one before, and it was at least four times heavier. The pot also possessed a more proper thickness. When he grabbed the handles, he found that his hands were perfectly suited to their shape. He moved his wrists to estimate the weight of the pot and found that it was very to his tastes. Nian Bing really liked heavy pots like this. He rapped the side of the pot; the deep and resounding sound indicated that the quality of the pot was quite good and was also pleasing to listen to. “Owner, this is kitchenware made by the Sky Spring Pavilion?” Nian Bing’s voice held notes of questioning.
The owner was blank for a moment and replied, “Of course it is. This was the crown jewel that I specially procured from the Sky Spring Pavilion’s workshop. If it didn’t seem that you understood quality kitchen utensils, I wouldn’t have brought it out.”
A soft blue light gathered around Nian Bing’s hands after completing the chant. In an instant, his hands had become pure white like jade as they undulated with waves while pressing down on Ru Yi. A while light hovered around Ru Yi’s fair and well-developed body. Under the effect of the white light, Ru Yi’s wounds immediately stopped bleeding. Nian Bing closed his eyes and let the warm water element flow out from his fingertips. When he felt that the holy water spell was complete, he moved both of his hands over Ru Yi’s wounds. A milky white water replaced the redness of the gashes as the viscous of the holy water completely healed the horrible looking injuries. Very soon, the milky white fluid had completely filled the wounds. You could almost see the wounds being healed with the naked eye.
Breathing in deeply, Nian Bing felt tired. After all, he had just used several strong magic spells in succession, which took a high toll on his magic power. “It’s done. Help your sister into her clothes, but don’t move her too much, and let the holy water and her wounds completely fuse. That will probably take half an hour, then you can take her back. Don’t worry, the holy water spells is a rank 5 healing magic. It’s used to treat internal injuries. For normal injuries like this it is too extravagant, but the wounds won’t leave any scars. Let your sister sleep well and she will wake up tomorrow, completely recovered.”
When she heard that even scars wouldn’t be left behind, Ru Meng’s eyes were immediately filled with gratitude. Finally, she believed completely that Nian Bing didn’t have any hostile intentions. “Mister Magic Reaper, thank you. On behalf of my elder sister, I thank you. If there is ever the chance later, I will definitely repay you.”
Nian Bing replied with good humor, “What is there to thank. Don’t forget that your sister tried to harm me. I hope that she’ll learn a lesson from this. Mistress Ru Meng, what sort of trauma did your sister experience?”
Ru meng hesitated for a moment, but when she saw Nian Bing’s crystal clear gaze through the mask, a feeling of trust inexplicably welled up within her heart. She sighed, then answered, “It’s like this. When my sister was seven and I was five, our parents died due to an epidemic. Ever since we were little, Big Sister was extremely strong. In order to take care of me, she went to the main roads to beg. At that time, she was just like a boy, surrounded by other beggars of her age. Everyone tried to bully us, so Big Sister became extremely hostile towards others. When Big Sister was ten years old, we were taken in by our benefactor. Our benefactor provided us with warm clothes and foods and also taught us skills, giving us the opportunity to shine. Mister Magic Reaper, please don’t ask about who we are affiliated with. Even if we were to die, Big Sister and I would definitely not sell out our benefactor.”
Nian Bing smiled slightly and said, “I have no interest in that. I just want to know what kind of trauma your elder sister experienced previously to be so hysterical.”
A trace of tears could be seen in Ru meng’s eyes. “Among the orphans that our benefactor took in, there was an extremely outstanding boy. He looked very handsome, his personality was gentle, and his abilities were nothing short of remarkable. At the age twenty, he already reached the unprecedented realm of a great swordmaster. At that time, our benefactor had said that one day, he would definitely become a martial saint. At that time, I was fifteen, and Big Sister was seventeen.
“I don’t know exactly when it happened, but Big Sister was secretly love in him. She never confessed and buried her love deep in heart because Big Sister knew that he liked the benefactor’s daughter. Our benefactor’s daughter only came to visit once a year, but he would be happiest at those times. Big Sister admitted to herself that she had no way of comparing to our benefactor’s daughter, so she could only bury her feelings. Finally, two years ago, when the benefactor’s daughter visited again, he couldn’t take it anymore and confessed to the benefactor’s daughter. However, he was rejected mercilessly, without any room to save the situation. At that time, he received a very large shock and went out alone to drink. Worried about his state of mind, Big Sister followed.
“That night, they didn’t return home. Although Big Sister won’t say anything, I could guess that that something had happened between them. From then on, they had established a relationship with each other. I was very happy for Big Sister, but I always sensed that something wasn’t right. That year was that happiest year Big Sister had experienced since birth. They lived together, carried out missions together. Birds fly and nestle together. Big Sister, besides not forgetting to take care of me, did not care about anything else.
“It looked like Big Sister was happy, so I could not bear to say too much. I could only silently pray and hope that my intuition was wrong, but things never turn out the way you want. After they had been seeing each other for an entire year, the benefactor’s daughter once again returned. The outstanding him, actually was still the same as before and held feelings for the benefactor’s daughter. Nothing had changed from before; the benefactor’s daughter still didn’t care about him. When the benefactor’s daughter came, Big Sister and him had their first fight. I clearly remember how fierce their fight was. I worried about Big Sister, so I hid under the window to listen. Big Sister interrogated him on why he still hadn’t forgotten our benefactor’s daughter, and he mercilessly hurt Big Sister. He said to Big Sister that the thing between them was just about desires and not feelings, that Big Sister was just the benefactor’s daughter’s substitute. That it was just an investment for his feelings. He also said that he would only love the benefactor’s daughter his whole life. Even in the future, if he were truly involved with my big sister, he would only love the benefactor’s daughter.
“Big Sister is a stubborn person. From that moment on, her heart died. She didn’t say anything more because he was someone the benefactor valued. My sister had murderous intent she needed to disperse, so she asked the benefactor for an outside assignment and came here. With the identity of a prostitute as cover, she continued to help the benefactor.
“I think that if it weren’t for repaying the benefactor, Big Sister would have thoughts of committing suicide. I have seen her many times, with her back towards me, crying as she looked out at the night sky. Big Sister is truly suffering! Tonight you should protect your friend from entering into whorehouses. He is really too handsome, even more handsome than Big Sister’s past love. There is some similarity between his gentle smile and that person, so Big Sister couldn’t control herself and wanted to kill him. Mister Magic Reaper, in place of my sister I apologize to your friend. Please take pity on Big Sister and forgive her. From now on, I will definitely persuade her from doing stupid things.”
After hearing Ru Meng’s narrative, Nian Bing’s heart shuddered slightly. Every person has faced their own hardships. If comparing his story to Ru Yi and her sister’s, he was even slightly more fortunate. His eyes fell on Ru Yi’s somewhat pale face. She seemed as if she already wasn’t that ill. Any traces of hatred had already disappeared from Nian Bing’s heart; he sighed lightly and said, “Sorry, Mistress Ru meng. I didn’t know that your big sister had experienced such a rough life. It should be me who is apologizing to her; I sincerely wish that she can find a good place to return to. However, please pass on to your sister that handsome men aren’t necessarily terrible. At least, my friend isn’t. Okay, let’s bring your sister back now. I will escort you now, but be careful from now on.”
Ru Meng carefully picked up her sister, and with Nian Bing’s escort, they returned to the city. When they finally arrived at the whorehouse, Nian Bing quietly left. At the moment, the sky showed a sliver of dawn. Without any hurry to return to the inn, Nian Bing found a quiet corner and took off his Magic Reaper outfit and sat down, cross-legged. He sent his spirit outwards While sensing everything in his surroundings, he slowly recovered his magic power. Although his recovering speed was slower like this, but by sending out his spirit, he was prepared to sense anything that happened in his surroundings. Thus, this way was safer.
When Nian Bing felt that the main streets started to fill with people, he awoke from his meditation. The Ice and Fire Source’s special characteristics had made his magic power recovery quicker. At the moment, he had almost returned to his optimum state. Standing up, he brushed off the dust on him. He should return right now. He believed that right now, Ru Yi had already awoken, but he didn’t know how her body condition was. This was the first time that he felt guilty that he had used magic to injure someone, because he felt extremely sympathetic to Ru Yi’s situation. After all, he had experienced a similar misfortune.
Nian Bing determined the direction of the inn as he walked along the main road, but he was not in a hurry. The food he had eaten last night had almost all been digested, so he prepared to look for a place where he could first stop his growling stomach. He would just let Xue Jing wait; the more she had a poor impression of him, the higher the chance she wouldn’t bother him anymore. Thinking this, he simply slowed down his steps. There were many places to buy breakfast, but with just a simple glance, Nian Bing could tell that the masters of these breakfast shops possessed no skill. However, right now, he just wanted to eat something. He randomly chose an establishment that was clean and sat down. He ordered a bowl of rice, two mantou, and a dish of pickled vegetables. These basic dishes wouldn’t be too bad.
While eating the food, Nian Bing looked out at the street and saw a store selling kitchen utensils across the street. Right now, he had a space ring so he didn’t need to carry his belongings himself. Since it was like that, couldn’t he buy some kitchen tools and put them in his space ring? Having just a kitchen knife isn’t enough. Besides roasting, he couldn’t use any other cooking methods. Right, he would buy kitchen tools. If he also bought some ingredients while he was at it, it would be a lot more convenient for him. Nian Bing sped up the movements of his mouth. After he had stuffed his stomach to the brim he immediately crossed the street and walked into the kitchen utensils store.
The kitchenware store looked very clean. The walls on either side were hung with every kind of kitchenware divided by category; it should be complete. Although they weren’t top quality items, they were good enough for ordinary cooking. A forty-plus-year-old, short, little man greeted him and said, “Sir, would you like to buy some kitchen utensils? We have everything here, so feel free to choose as you like.”
Nian Bing randomly picked up an iron pot and rapped his finger against the surface, making a clear sound. He looked at the grain of the steel and could not help but shake his head. The quality is too bad. If I use just a bit of the strength of my fire magic, it would not definitely be damaged. The short man looked at Nian Bing’s unsatisfied expression and hurried to say, “Sir, if our ordinary goods do not enter your eyes, I have some good ones here.”
“Oh? Okay, then let me see a full set of your finest so I don’t have to see them one by one.” Nian Bing didn’t have such grand hopes. He only wanted kitchenware with somewhat good quality steel and toughness so it could bear the force of his Ice and Fire Source Magic. The short, little man replied, “As it would happen, I have a full set of a genuine Sky Spring Pavilion kitchenware. Please wait a moment.”
Sky Spring Pavilion? This was a name that Nian Bing had heard Demon Chef Zha Ji say before. In Zha Ji’s description, Sky Spring Pavilion was presently one of the best workshops for making kitchenware. The kitchenware that they made was extremely hard, with good quality steel, could endure wear and tear, and protected against rust. Although they weren’t exactly designer, good tools like theirs were hard to come by. Good chefs, for the most part, used the kitchenware they made. Due to the extremely well-known name of the Sky Spring Pavilion, the prices for their goods were comparatively exorbitant. One item could cost several gold coins while a full set would cost several purple-gold coins. Ordinary kitchen implements would only cost two to three silver coins for a set; a Sky Spring Pavilion set was a hundred times more expensive. However, Nian Bing didn’t care about money. If the shop owner here truly had quality products produced by the Sky Spring Pavilion, he wouldn’t be stingy. As the saying goes, an artisan needs the best tools to do the best work. For chefs, the better the kitchen utensils, the more he can bring out his ability when he cooks.
In just a moment, the short man came out carrying a pile of boxes taller than himself, looking like he was exerting much effort. He placed the boxes onto the ground and somewhat breathily said, “See, sir, these are all quality products made by the Sky Spring Pavilion. Although the price is a lot higher, these are definitely worth the price.”
Nian Bing stepped forward curiously and opened the topmost box. The only thing that he saw inside was an iron pot. The pot was completely grey, but on the bottom there was a rhombus imprint with the words Sky Spring Pavilion in it. This pot was obviously much deeper than the one before, and it was at least four times heavier. The pot also possessed a more proper thickness. When he grabbed the handles, he found that his hands were perfectly suited to their shape. He moved his wrists to estimate the weight of the pot and found that it was very to his tastes. Nian Bing really liked heavy pots like this. He rapped the side of the pot; the deep and resounding sound indicated that the quality of the pot was quite good and was also pleasing to listen to. “Owner, this is kitchenware made by the Sky Spring Pavilion?” Nian Bing’s voice held notes of questioning.
The owner was blank for a moment and replied, “Of course it is. This was the crown jewel that I specially procured from the Sky Spring Pavilion’s workshop. If it didn’t seem that you understood quality kitchen utensils, I wouldn’t have brought it out.”
