Sundering Nature

TL: ZhaoEditing: Krisaia

A group of five conspicuous people showed up at the entrance of the subway station. At the head was a young woman with long hair. Behind her was two other women, one possessing the charms of maturity, whereas the other of innocence. Following those women was a well-built man with a big beard and a skinny man with a pale countenance wearing a suit.   

“Wait here. I’ll go get a car for us.” Big Beard said with a sunken countenance. 

Liu Meng nodded and walked to the side with her cell phone. 

Eyeglasses squatted down and pulled out a tablet from his bag.

“There’s quite a lot of people in the city’s surveillance system. You’d almost mistake this for a streaming channel…” Eyeglasses smiled in contempt. 

“Don’t mind the small nuisances. We need to find him quickly. We don’t have much time left.”  Qing Linglong said as she stared at the flow of people coming in and out of the subway station. 

“Liu Meng, could you try calling him? Maybe we can track his signal down,” Eyeglasses said as he plugged a flash drive into his computer. 

“It’s not going through.” Liu Meng shook her cell phone and stretched herself. 

Vroom! Vroom! 

Two motorcycles nearby suddenly accelerated and veered toward Liu Meng. One of the drivers, dressed in a leather suit with his face hidden by a helmet suddenly reached out with his gloved right hand. 

Liu Meng turned around after hearing the sound of the loud engines behind her, and the man snatched her cell phone and drove away before she could even react.  

“Robbery?” Liu Meng frowned, more amused than anything.  

Bang! 

The motorcycle’s course was suddenly halted, and the vehicle crashed to the ground along with the two thieves. Screams of panic came from the crowd as it dispersed at the sight of Qing Linglong lowered her gun. 

“Really? All of this just for a cell phone?” Eyeglasses sighed. 

“How are we going to finish this up?” Liu Meng ignored the thief writhing in pain and looked at Qing Linglong. 

“We can’t find him by ourselves.” Qing Linglong said as she walked toward the two thieves. 

Bang! 

The thief who did not get shot initially scrambled for his life before a bullet pierced his shoulder and emerged from the front of his chest, causing him to tumble to the ground.  

“You’re going to use the police?” Liu Meng glanced at the first criminal, who was still as a corpse on the ground.

“Yes. At least we would be able to create some chaos, and maybe track him down.” Qing Linglong strolled toward the motorcycle and picked up Liu Meng’s cell phone. 

“You… you…” The second thief moaned in agony and terror as he saw Qing Linglong approach him. 

Bang! 

Qing Linglong frowned in disgust and finished him off without hesitation. 

“That could work. We could get some valuable information by using the power of the government. That would also spare us the troubling of fighting the other small fries.” Eyeglasses took out a stack of ID booklets and handed them out to his friends. 

“What is it?” A black jeep drove slowly toward the group. Big Beard peeked out of the window with a cigar between his teeth. 

“It’s nothing. We’re just waiting for police. You should stay inside if you want to smoke, they don’t allow public smoking here,” Liu Meng said. 

“I’m tired of standing.” Qing Qiaoqiao pursed her lips and hopped onto the backseat. 

The wailing of the police sirens was heard after only a few minutes, showing their efficiency in answering a major emergency such as a firearm being fired in public. 

“What are they up to?” Sai Gao observed the scene from afar, pulling his hat down to prevent his face from being seen. 

“Liu Meng… Qing Linglong… Eyeglasses… Qing Qiaoqiao… Big Beard… Are you really here to kill Li Yiming?” Sai Gao left the scene discreetly. 

* * *

‘Wu Kong… Dance in the Air…’ Li Yiming sat down on the patio of a coffee shop. 

‘The only reward for losing everything… To have the Earth and the Heavens in your heart, but to be empty of all possessions and desires… What about the other way? To be detached from the world as an individual, but to care for every single living being, every single grass and insect?’ Li Yiming sighed and sipped his burning coffee, at a loss for what to do next.  

‘Heaven’s Laws want me dead, and so do my friends. My new master gave me a Fate Pill, but all it did was to remove all of my techniques and my strength. And then she left without saying a word… What am I supposed to do?’ Li Yiming thought.

‘I need a place to try this new talent out, whatever it might be.’ Li Yiming decided to familiarize himself with his new talent. 

Just as Li Yiming put down his cup and was about to leave, he froze still and glanced at a waiter nearby in embarrassment. 

“Is there anything I can do for you, sir?” The waiter, who acutely caught Li Yiming’s attention, approached him and asked politely. 

“No… Well… Could I have a cup of hot water?” Li Yiming asked. 

“Of course, one moment, sir.” The waiter nodded and paced away. 

Li Yiming smiled in self-derision after realizing that he did not have a single penny on him. His storage place vanished along with all of his belongings that it contained — his wallet, his cards, his cell phone, everything was now gone. 

Li Yiming puckered his lips as the waiter came back with a cup of hot water. ‘A sage ruined by a hot latte…’ 

Thinking back on his journey, he remembered every event that had happened in the span of only a few months. He went from hitting the rock bottom of being betrayed by his girlfriend and wandering on the edge of suicide to becoming a guardian commandering overwhelming powers and wealth. Now, he was back to his original state where it all started.  

He had wanted nothing more than living a normal life with his loved one, and to be able to provide for his family and kids. However, this idea was soon rendered into a pipe dream after being burdened with the task of rebelling against Heaven’s Laws and piercing the clouds with his legendary staff. He still had some doubts about his identity, but he was now closer to the truth than ever. ‘Adventure to the East… Mr. Kong…’ 

* * *

“I’m ready.” As a futuristic-looking wheelchair equipped with all kinds of functions was pushed into the room, the young girl with silver irises who sat on it raised her head and stared at the woman standing in front of her. 

“There’s no need anymore…” The woman, dressed in a traditional outfit, answered. 

The young girl, whose hair was still wet from a bath, seemed like a fairy with her elegant air and sweet body aroma. 

“Are you giving up?” The girl asked all of a sudden. 

“No, we just missed our opportunity, we lost sight of it…” The woman answered. 

“Missed?” The girl asked. 

“I’ll go with you this afternoon. We’ll meet him together. You’ll understand then.” 

“I’ll get to see him?” The girl asked. 

“Yes, you must.”