The Cultivating Child and Grandparent
Du Yuexin's strange conversation with Mu Wuying lasted an entire afternoon and till the cusp of evening. Du Lang and Jiang Chen were forced to loiter around the garage as the former practiced balancing on his newly acquired pair of crutches and the latter guzzled cigarette after cigarette. The dazzling sun flew circles around their bored foreheads as it showered merciless rays of light, and the occasional passing of luxurious vehicles spared their eyes from withering at the sheer boredom.
Jiang Chen was rather comfortable, for he browsed the newest Weibo feeds and corporate reports whilst humming a lighthearted tune. Du Lang, on the other hand, had left his Xiaomi inside, and couldn't really do much other than take a short walk.
And such, the retired reporter brutally abandoned the charming chairperson of Beijing's technology industry, and hobbled onto the streets.
"It's been two years since I last wandered around, is that it?"
The neighborhood was particularly reserved and secluded compared to its upper-class residential competitors. The asphalt streets were bordered on either side by mansions of both traditional Western and Eastern architecture, in addition to a several few that had adopted either contemporary or modern themes. For a small community that hated conversing with another, there certainly was a healthy blend of diversity in preferences.
Towards his right, there was a building in the form of a spiraling granite helix, splashed with a travesty of colors and glass. Then to his left stood proud a replica of the Tang-dynasty era siheyuan, but with the wooden structures and beams replaced for stronger, more durable metallic and mineral counterparts. A bold calligraphy piece of the character 'zhou' was displayed at the front entrance, and although Du Lang wasn't a connoisseur of calligraphy, it certainly seemed to complete the desire of appreciating history…
"This uncle here, has Tang Lang seen you before?"
Du Lang was shaken from his thoughts at the high-pitched, energized call of a young child. He turned towards his right and noticed a young boy peering at his figure with outstretched eyes, his right hand gently grasped by an elderly man. When the child registered Du Lang's involuntary response, he fiercely waved his free hand in vigorous greeting, a beaming smile on his countenance.
"Uncle, uncle! Tang Lang has memorized all of the people present in this neighborhood – Uncle Fu, Aunty Li, Grandma Pei, Old man Tang, and a few others – but I haven't seen Uncle before!" Tang Lang cheered with his fist, before pointing in the direction of Du Lang's mansion.
"Uncle, Uncle, is it true that you are the owner of the rumored mansion at the western corner? The one that got renovated two years ago?"
"Ah, this young fellow here – don't take my grandson so seriously. He is no more than an excited boy, there is much for him to learn."
The elderly grandparent gently tousled the child's head, and waved his hand in Du Lang's general direction. Du Lang finally blinked, and nodded his head with some hesitation. The young boy immediately squinted his beady eyes, and clapped his cheek with great force in fright.
"Uncle, Uncle – you have great misfortune hanging over your head! If you don't take care of the baleful qi surrounding you soon, something bad might befall those –"
"Tang Lang!" the elderly man chastised with a rough tone, before bowing apologetically in shame.
"Aiyah – young man, my grandson speaks some nonsensical things once every often. Don't take him seriously – he is only five."
Tang Lang seemed to protest, but a withered hand clamped down on his mouth and prevented him from saying anything further. The elderly man rubbed at his silver beard with an apologetic smile, before shaking his sleeve.
"Young man, do you mind if this old thing asks for your name?"
"Senior, no need to be so polite. My name is Du Lang. Is there anything Senior requires from me?"
The elderly man shook his head with a mindful smile, and tugged at his grandson's hand. Tang Lang squirmed his body in an attempt to escape the iron grasp on his head, yet was disappointed with the result of an eagle's claw pinching onto the collar of his nape. As Du Lang stood still and watched in confusion, the elderly man tugged the child down the street after waving a hand, and his voice flowed into the former's ears.
"Then, Young Du, you might do best to eat some ginseng, and rest some more at night. Although Tang Lang speaks some unreasonable things once in a while, overworking your body bodes a dangerous omen for the future."
Du Lang shrugged, and pressed down onto the crutches as he resumed his walk. He spent the next twenty minutes aimlessly wandering around whilst admiring the combination of sheer passion and insanity represented in the bizarre combination of mansions, when his feet stilled.
"…baleful qi – was that the right word?" Du Lang murmured with a frown.
"And the child phrased it in the manner that the 'baleful qi' was surrounding me… Sibyl, do you know what is going on?"
[The mortal, human lifeforms recognized as Tang Lang and Tang Qiang… are recognized within internal archives as beings possessing
"
Du Lang's heart sunk at the thought, and the implications that flickered in his mind caused the right crutch to slip from under his shoulder and clatter onto the ground. He stared at the granite wall to a Victorian-era themed mansion as he rapidly recalled the black sphere's previous words a few weeks prior, and calmed his breath. Of the numerous phrases and statements that Sibyl had tossed under his awareness, there seemed to be a few interesting tidbits…
"Oh. That was said earlier, wasn't it?"
The world, or the world Sibyl defined, possessed a hierarchal determination of all lifeforms, with Sibyl itself at the pinnacle. By relying on Sibyl's authority, mortal lifeforms could… borrow the measures to create supernatural phenomena distant from scientific or logical thinking – miracles. The Curse Platform was one, the Righteous Platform was another that ran parallel to the former, but now there was the Hereditary Physique Platform…
"How many of these… Platforms exist? And what happens if a
[Each ascending threshold in priority incurs a 30% deficit in the duration, performance, or efficacy of any enhancements, curse models, or spell constructs cast by the party with a lower threshold. The host, with
"Such a great benefit? So the title 'Master of Curses' wasn't an edgy childlike mantra?" Du Lang rubbed his forehead and grimaced.
"So? If I had to come into conflict with those two, who would be the winner?"
The black sphere paused for a brief moment, and Du Lang felt a scrutinizing glare sweep him from head to toe. The odd, discomfiting sensation of extraordinarily cold ice trickling down his front and back caused him to shiver, but not as much as the secretary's assessment a few breaths later.
[Against the mortal Tang Lang, the current development of the host's curse models and experience projects a 60% possibility of victory. The host currently has a 0% possibility of victory against the mortal Tang Qiang.]
"So low!? Didn't you state that I would have a permanent 60% boost in performance –"
[The Curse Platform is not suited for the high-paced, physical combat equipped by the Hereditary Physique Platform. The host currently lacks the development to adequately bridge the gap in average combat potential.]
…from Sibyl's particular introduction of the Curse Platform, it certainly wasn't one suited for direct combat – just his encounter with the three fellows from Academi's recruit division was sufficient to convince Du Lang of its initial ineptitude. However, to state that he only had a 60% chance of victory against such a small five-year-old child…
Certainly, although the curse models inherited from his predecessor Er Gouming were powerful in nature, he couldn't cast them infinitely and without pause. And to ruthlessly spend his consciousness – the so-called spiritual essence – pausing time for three to nine seconds each time just to evade an attack wasn't ideal.
…but a five year old child!?!?
[Should the host complete the curse model currently in development and advance from its proof-of-concept design, achieving victory against Tang Lang will increase to 100%. It will then be possible to project 70% possibility of defeating Tang Qiang in individual combat.]
That… was certainly quite the hefty participation trophy.
And yet, although he knew he should be elated that a single curse model could significantly elevate his odds, Du Lang just felt immense disappointment. He shrugged and picked up the crutch, and with a sidelong glance towards anyone who might have witnessed his gaffe, began the long trek home.
"Still, to think that even after all this miraculous chain of events, transforming my appearance and giving me the ability to stop time within a small region, I still can't beat a five year old in direct combat…"
[Tang Lang's utility of the Hereditary Physique Platform focuses primarily on continuous, rapid movements while minimizing energy expenditure and supplementing loss in strength by receiving assistance the world's vitality. The host can exponentially increase the probability of victory by either gathering combat experience or finishing development of the host's next curse model.]
"Receiving the world's vitality… so he would be what the novels describe as a cultivator?" Du Lang hummed, then winced in realization.
"Sibyl, did you just sell out information of one of your hosts? That's highly unethical and liable on grounds of sabotage, you know?"
The black sphere remained silent regardless of his prodding, and Du Lang eventually gave up in his attempts of squeezing an answer from the former. The gentle clink of the crutch's metal base meeting with the concrete sidewalk accompanied his ears as he wandered through the blistering maze of indirect and obscure pathways, and the overhead sun glimmered with a golden radiance. Soon enough, after wandering past several dozen homes and numerous cars ferrying their owners back from work, the oblique mansion greeted his eyes.
Jiang Chen's disgruntled figure remained outside the garage, leaning against the aluminum frame as he fiercely sucked at a cigarette. Seven minute stubs were littered around his feet, and the handsome, elegant visage was laced with exhaustion and a hint of irritation.
"Elder Sister hasn't finished yet?"
"Ah Xin finished her meeting, but she said that dinner preparations are taking a bit longer than she thought," Jiang Chen scowled and snuffed the cigarette against the asphalt.
"Forcing her husband to stand outside for nearly four hours, if I don't get revenge by pushing her down and going twelve rounds, I won't be called Jiang Chen!"
Du Lang blinked at the abrupt chain of words that scattered across the ground. As Jiang Chen's lips twitched at the sight of eight cigarettes forming a lonely throne atop the asphalt, the former couldn't help but clarify the phrase that manifested in his mind.
"…you're going to push my Elder Sister down? And go… twelve –"
"Ah, ah, ah – forget all about it, and don't tell Ah Xin! Please, my dear little brother – keep this a secret amongst brothers, ah?"