16. Case is complicated!

Situ Kulu rubbed his eyes as he woke up. Last night, he had barely slept, and his whole body was aching.

The effect of the alcohol, which should have numbed the pain, dissipated abruptly when Ancestor slapped him.

The sudden slap had jolted him awake, and the pain that followed was nothing short of excruciating. The agony intensified into a form of squirming after two hours, and he observed his wounds beginning to heal.

However, the pain brought on by the healing process was even more unbearable. He had not slept much, but as the sun rose, he recalled Ancestor's words and mustered all his strength. Supported by his servants, he managed to stand.

He noticed that most of his internal injuries had healed at an abnormal rate. Ancestor must have used a healing technique on me. His goodwill towards Ancestor grew.

He looked up at the sky. The sun was already rising, and it was the first time in six months that he had woken up so early. Maybe Ancestor will help me get her.

He still harbored a glimmer of hope. He placed his hand on the shoulder of a male servant and limped toward the Gray Courtyard. He needed to respond to Ancestor's summons.

When Situ Kulu arrived at the Gray Courtyard, the bamboo house door was still closed. He put his hand on the nearby fence and gestured for his servant to leave him. He decided to wait for his Ancestor. After two hours, the bamboo door finally opened.

It was nearly unbearable for Lan to remain asleep. These Spirit Diagrams, which allow sunrays to pass through, are my arch-enemy. He grumbled and woke up. When he was ready to take a stroll, he saw someone waiting outside, leaning on the fence.

"Oh, you look sober now. Good, come inside," Lan said, his tone carrying a hint of approval.

Observing the kid standing outside despite being injured, Lan decided to display some seniority and magnanimity.

While sitting on a reclining chair, Lan watched Situ Kulu use the wall for support as he stood. When the kid finally settled, Lan leaned back into a more comfortable position and asked, "What is your story, kid? Tell me the truth, the whole truth."

Situ Kulu took a deep breath. "Ancestor, it was around the time when I was 12 years old…"

Looking at the kid's face, which seemed ready to recount a lengthy tale, Lan raised his hand to stop him. "Wait, I am not writing your biography, nor have you done any great deeds. Give me a short, concise backstory."

Situ Kulu uncomfortably shifted from one leg to another. Telling him to stop when he was in the mood made him awkward.

"Ancestor, when I first saw Jiaying, I liked her. I always thought I would be able to marry her when I became older. But when I was old enough, our family was in a tough position, so I didn't get the chance to propose to her. Still, I thought there would be a chance, but when she got selected by the Red Wind Sect, I knew she would be in a different world than me. I could not bear to watch her go away without telling her my feelings."

"I expected her to reject me, and that happened. She was going into the Red Wind Sect. Why would she marry someone like me who has no aptitude and background? I didn't have the will to live, but I was not cruel enough to abandon my family in crisis, so I decided to live on. But the pain in my heart, I could only curb it with liquor." He started wiping tears that had appeared unconsciously.

When Lan heard the kid mention he had no background, he was almost tempted to slap him again. However, seeing the pitiful look on the kid's face, he stopped himself. Lan sat straight and spoke in a milder voice.

"Shh… Don't cry. And if you use that tablecloth to wipe your face, I will smack you again."

Situ Kulu straightened up fearfully.

"Kid, you made three terrible mistakes, and that's why you are in your current situation. Those mistakes I will not tell you about; you need to figure them out on your own. But I will give you a solution."

Situ Kulu's mind raced, trying to recall his mistakes, but he perked up at the mention of a solution.

"Before that, tell me what you liked about that girl."

Situ Kulu got embarrassed. Talking about his love interest in front of the Great Ancestor was very uncomfortable, but seeing the Ancestor's serious expression, he spoke up.

"Jiaying is very beautiful. She has such a graceful aura around her that makes her look like a celestial beauty. I have not experienced it, but she is known for her good nature. I like her eyes; they make me feel like I would be drawn into them."

Lan noticed how the kid struggled to find the right words to describe his love. This is the problem with immature boys. Someone must have told him the girl is good, and he became love-struck. Lan had full experience of such phases. He had gone through it himself, but being smart, he did not propose when he saw the girl was not interested.

But now the kid was already in the last stage of this infatuation, so Lan decided to bring out his acting skills. His face showed deep melancholy as he murmured loud enough.

"Hais, kid, you are braver than me. I still regret not asking her…"

Lan looked toward the corner of the room with sad eyes, as if he could see an imaginary girl there.

"If I had a single bit of your courage, I would have no regrets now."

Situ Kulu saw the Ancestor's face full of melancholy. The solitary figure in the chair made him perceive what true love might be. He had never thought the Great Ancestor could harbor such feelings. Till now, the Ancestor showed a strong front, but hidden such sadness inside. Situ Kulu's respect for his Ancestor soared.

Lan noticed that his acting had some effect. He struck while the iron was hot.

"Khmm… forgive me, I recalled something from the past."

He closed his eyes for a while, and when he opened them again, his posture became dignified.

"Kid, you are naïve. You have not seen the world. Let me tell you, this Red Wind Sect or whatnot, if your Ancestor here accidentally sneezed on them, there would be nothing left of them. And about your aptitude for cultivation, even a dog from my family can become immortal just because I said so. You are a human member of this family, so who will stop you?"

Situ Kulu was flabbergasted by Ancestor's words. For the most part, he thought Ancestor was bragging, but seeing the confident expression, he began to trust the words a little.

"Kid, I know you will not trust me as you know nothing of my prowess." Lan sank back in his chair as if carrying a huge burden. He sighed. "I don't mind. But to give you a little proof of my abilities, I will give you a little gift."

Lan then produced three different VR gal-games, obviously rated 18+, dreams of Hikikomoris. These games, provided by the system, were top-notch in graphics and characterization. Lan selected a few with cultivation settings. With VR, the games were more than real. Although the text-choice selection made it difficult to make the experience fully real, Lan – Master Scholar, continued.

"There are a few virtual worlds I was able to connect to during my last thousand years of seclusion. These artifacts will allow your soul to pass over to the virtual realm, where there is a different world. You will meet different people there."

Lan shifted slightly in his chair.

"As your cultivation is very low, you cannot express your feelings verbally there. But as I see you are very brave and have a lot of potential, I will use a bit of my cultivation to allow you to communicate using letters. Remember, your choices of dialogues will be limited as you are still in the Martial Apprentice realm. But the choices given will be enough for you to explore the virtual world."

Scamming requires that you should not allow your target to think. Lan purchased the most advanced VR gear and threw it toward Situ Kulu along with the data disks for the games. Lan did not know how to use the VR set himself; there were a few extra things in it, but he was smart and continued.

"There is a manual on how to use the artifact. Learn from there. Never disclose this information to anyone. When you finish exploring, come back here. I have some work for you." He waved his hand in a shooing gesture. "Close the door behind you."