Chapter 45: Broken

Chen Lan whistled upon seeing what Feng Biao had summoned.

"A Divine Armament, don't suppose you'll tell me what Grade?"

"Sorry, I wouldn't ask what Grade your Divine Ability is either, I think strong enough works well to describe them, no?"

"Fair"

Feng Biao then looked towards Chen Lan and said, " you should climb up a rock."

"That strong?"

"I don't think so, but it might sting if you're close by at least."

Chen Lan complied and climbed up a rock looking down at Feng Biao below.

Feng Biao then aimed his Vajra at a spot a ways away from where they had been buried. Only infusing Divinity into his arm he chucked the Vajra at the ground.

As it flew towards its destination the Vajra cracked and split into pieces. As if it was made out a clump of originally separate material before it even reached the spot Feng Biao had thrown it at.

When it finally landed it shattered, and a bright flash of light was released.

It created a small crater on the ground where it landed. It was then Feng Biao heard a noise as if somebody had screamed, but it was muffled by a wall.

"There," Feng Biao pointed.

Feng Biao began digging and Chen Lan joined him. About 60 cm below the surface only 90 cm away from where the Vajra landed was a metal coffin.

This time Feng Biao made sure to infuse as much Divinity as he could into his arms and slowly managed to tear the entire lid open.

Inside was an unconscious boy. Chen Lan reached her hand into the coffin and slapped him back to consciousness.

"Wha-"

"Hi, welcome back," Chen Lan said pointing her spear towards his throat.

"How did you find me?" the boy said rubbing his temple.

"I guessed," Feng Biao said flatly.

"Really?" Chen Lan said with a raised eyebrow.

"Partially, going on the basis that he could teleport inside the earth in that coffin I knew he didn't place himself directly above us when we were buried, or we would have found him."

"I then reasoned it was likely he was not anywhere near that area at all."

"But he still needed air, and I don't think that he's able to dig himself out of a deep area. When he got rid of that coffin surrounding him he'd need to get easy access to air."

"Therefore I thought he'd probably teleport himself close to the surface."

"But how'd you know it would be anywhere around here?" Chen Lan asked smiling as Feng Biao spoke.

"If his Divine Ability was powerful enough to teleport long distances there would have been no reason for him to climb up to the summit. There's some limitation to it that bars him from long-distance teleportation."

The boy looked pale as Feng Biao spoke. Apparently, Feng Biao was right on all accounts.

'It was nice to see the lightning produced by Divinity interacted with his metal coffin like they were natural elements.'

Feng Biao was still unsure about the exact nature of Divinity and was pleasantly surprised his lightning worked as he had read it to function.

Of course not all aspects were similar, his lightning hadn't produced thunder to shatter his eardrums.

"So what now? Are you guys gonna force me to join you to fight the Oni? Fine, I'll help," the boy said in an exasperated manner.

Before Feng Biao could give an answer Chen Lan gave hers.

Driving her spear into his throat Chen Lan casually retracted her spear.

"Wow, you're really smart Feng Biao, which academy did you attend?"

"Why did you kill him?" Feng Biao questioned shocked.

"Because he was untrustworthy and filled with malice. Not only would he stab us in the back he's likely to do something stupid later out of spite to harm us."

"But you're smart enough to have already known that."

"That wasn't right-"

"Feng Biao I understand you're a kind person, you probably don't like the idea of killing people personally."

"That's admirable, but remember you're not the one who killed him it. I did, and I'm fine if after we get through this exam you choose not to associate with me."

"But please be rational and bear with me until the end so we can both survive, hmm?"

'She's...'

Feng Biao wanted to say insane, but that description didn't quite match up. Rather Chen Lan's actions felt guided by cold logic.

Looking down at the boy Feng Biao saw the coffin he was in slowly dissipating, leaving only his wide-eyed corpse staring back.

"Will you help me bury him?" Feng Biao said looking directly at the eyes of the boy who clearly hadn't expected death.

"Probably best if no one else sees the body," Chen Lan said nodding.

So the two began shoveling dirt into the hole. Feng Biao especially put his effort into it.

'I don't hate her.'

That was true, Feng Biao didn't find Chen Lan's actions particularly hateful. Shocking, but not unwarranted.

The boy had tried to kill them, and in the slums, that kind of action would have been met with swift reprisal.

'That's not how I want to live my life.'

Still, Feng Biao would not try and force his morals and compunctions on someone else. Chen Lan was living her life based on what she had experienced.

That didn't change the fact Feng Biao was now immensely wary of her. To take life so casually required a mindset he couldn't fathom. In what circumstances her spear would turn on him he could not say.

"I'm gonna go wash off this dirt at the stream," Chen Lan said.

"When I come back you can go do the same."

Feng Biao nodded. While Chen Lan was away he began to work on creating torches to set his mind at ease.