Chapter 10:Zeng'ge
Chapter 10: Zeng'ge
Tao Shen couldn't move, and it infuriated him. Usually, he was the one who dominated others and preyed on the weak, but having himself on the receiving end wasn't something he pictured in his life, so this experience was new to him.
Tang Feng, on the other hand, didn't know what would happen when he uttered the words, "Chaos Devour," but just as he did, Tao Shen's vitality began leaving him and started flowing into Tang Feng—and at a slow rate. Tang Feng only slightly pressed his fingers on Tao Shen's head, but it increased the pressure from the sucking, and Tao Shen's eyes and mouth emitted a golden glow as the speed of his vitality loss increased fourfold.
When all of Tao Shen's vitality had been sucked out, Tao Shen was no longer existing. He was reduced to a pile of ash, which his clothes laid upon.
Tang Feng took a deep breath when he finished absorbing it. He felt as though he had taken a huge bowl of wine and was full. He took a moment to catch his breath, but when he did, he clutched his chest tightly, his eyes wide and his pupils shaking violently as he fell to the floor gasping for air. His heart was unstable and his chi chaotic.
"Su Yan, what's going on?" he said in between breaths.
"Is something going to happen to me? Or is this just a side effect of using Chaos Devour?" Tang Feng asked, still clutching his chest tightly, the pain intensifying over time.
On hearing this, Tang Feng briefly forgot about the pain he was feeling and sat down to cultivate his heart.
"The wind rages in the storm, the streams flood out of the mountains," Tang Feng began.
All of a sudden, the breeze once raging flowed smoothly, taking a few leaves from tree branches with it. As he closed his eyes, chanting his mantra, the leaves gathered around him, circling around.
"Where all things are born and where all things come to an end. Chaos reigns."
The leaves circling him settled on the ground, and the yin-yang symbol appeared behind him.
When Tang Feng finally opened his eyes, his aching heart was finally calming down and the pain subsided. Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
Tang Feng took the chance to ask, "So Su Yan, how can I tell if the Chaos Devour was a success?"
Putting Tang Feng in a state of thought, "So it's like this," he said.
Tang Feng remembered the sacrifice Luo Zeng made in fighting for his family till his last breath.
"Luo Zeng, rest assured. I, Tang Feng, vow to protect your family in your stead," he said, looking up at the rising sun hidden behind the trees.
He stood up and stretched his hands a little, earning him a crack from both of his shoulder joints.
"Su Yan, let's go," he said as he slowly walked past Lin Zhang's split body and out into the forest, which was now fully illuminated by the morning sun.
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Luo Ning was dusting the tables and chairs of the Jade Swan Restaurant, humming a tune that her mother used to sing for her and her brother when they were little. She stopped to sit down on one of the restaurant seats, reminiscing about the times her mother let her lay on her lap, brushing her hair and singing her a sweet melody.
She remembered her mother's face clearly, even though she was very young when she and her father died. Her brother took on the role of their mother, singing her the melody anytime she cried or asked for their mother.
While Luo Ning thought about the bittersweet past in silence with a nostalgic smile on her face, Shen Muo came walking towards her with his fan that seemed to be luxurious. He took slow and soft steps so that Luo Ning wouldn't realize he was sneaking up on her.
"Yo! Isn't that Shen Muo, the young master of Celestial Pavilion Sect?" a stranger passing by with a friend of his pointed out, startling Shen Muo and earning the attention of Luo Ning and everyone else that was present.
His companion whispered to him, "Don't you know? The young master has been chasing Ban Shanzuo's new employee. He comes to this shop every day just to see her," the companion explained, and the stranger held his mouth in surprise.
"Is this true?" he asked.
Some of the spectators who stopped to ask what was going on were also aware of this, while some were just hearing about it for the first time.
Meanwhile, Shen Muo and Luo Ning, who were the object of the gossip, stood there. Luo Ning turned around to leave, but Shen Muo bolted from the place where he stood to stop her. He ended up on the floor, his hands holding on to Luo Ning as tight as he could.
"Ning'er, please just listen to me once. I came all the way to see you, please just hear what I have to say," he said, still holding her.
Luo Ning felt the sting from where she was being held, and it was starting to make her uncomfortable, so she did something she normally wouldn't do. Luo Ning didn't want to cause a commotion so early in the morning. She didn't have the strength to take care of it once it had started, so she invited Shen Muo to take a seat and talk in the restaurant, which apparently drove off the spectators who were clearly there for drama.
"So, tell me quickly. What is it you want to discuss with me?" she asked as they both walked into the restaurant and she closed the door behind her, giving Shen Muo her full attention with her hands locked on her chest and her expression serious.
Shen Muo was happy that Luo Ning was finally giving him a chance, but he didn't seem to understand her attitude, so he walked up to her wanting to touch her.
"Ning'er, I..." but she backed away from him.
He awkwardly retracted his hand.
"Ning'er, I only want you to know that I love you. I've always loved you and will do anything for you. Can't you see my sincerity?" he said, his voice etched with desperation. He needed to do what he ought to before that old man came to ruin his good deed.
"I already told you that I'm not interested in you. Why won't you just leave me alone?" Luo Ning said, showing clearly how irritated and uncomfortable she was with Shen Muo.
Shen Muo gritted his teeth when he saw this. He felt like taking Luo Ning by the hand and dragging her with him, but he didn't want Luo Ning to have a bad impression of him in her heart.
Shen Muo clenched his fists with all his might to resist the urge to grab Luo Ning. He released his grip and took a deep, long sigh.
"Ning'er, why won't you see my feelings for you? Don't you know how much I love you and want to marry you?" he said, his voice a little soft now.
Shen Muo was always the type to get whatever he asked for, but he knew that Luo Ning would change that about him. Luo Ning, who was patiently listening and waiting for him to finish speaking, interrupted him.
"Shen Muo, I'm already giving you enough face than you deserve by letting you in and hearing you out. So if you don't have anything meaningful to tell me, please leave my shop," Luo Ning stated sternly, pointing at the door she closed when they both walked in.
Shen Muo was shocked. His face dropped—and his expression. He extended his hand towards Luo Ning with his head still down, causing Luo Ning to distance herself from him.
"What do you want to do?" she asked, playing it strong when she was clearly terrified.
When Luo Ning saw that his expression had changed and he wouldn't listen to her, she turned her face to the side, closing her eyes shut in preparation for what's to come.
Luo Ning waited for something to happen but she didn't feel anything.
"Who are you? How dare you block me?" Shen Muo asked.
She opened her eyes and saw someone holding Shen Muo's hand, stopping it from getting to her. When she looked at her savior, her eyes glowed, tears slowly forming.
"Zeng'ge!"
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