He turned his head away from her and the other disciples of the Stillwater Palace, his attention returning to the darkened sky above, his attitude entirely unconcerned—as if the group he'd watched was nothing more than a passing curiosity.
Of course, that was only the outward front. Inside, his mental state was far from as calm as he projected—but this, they didn't know, right?
A few seconds passed, then a quiet inhale broke the stillness.
With a stiff, almost mechanical motion, the twin-tailed beauty reached out and tugged at her identical counterpart's sleeve—a small gesture that betrayed the storm still swirling inside her.
Her voice came soon after, low and slightly hushed, almost a whisper. "Sister Yulan, there's… someone over there, sitting against the boulder."
"What?" instinctively answered Yulan as she turned her head toward her sister, who signalled with her head toward something. Yulan's black eyes followed where she was signalling toward and gasped, "There really is someon…"
Her surprised speech broke as she truly caught sign of the figure, her gaze catching his extremely toned and muscled chest that was almost inhuman, a small pink hue spread on her cheeks as she gulped, her reaction nearly 100% identical to her sister, "…he's lying there on the boulder and he is handsome… really handsome!"
"Sister!" exclaimed in disapprobation the first of the two sisters named Bai Lifen, even when her tone was disapprobative she sneakily threw another glance at the leisurely figure sitting against a boulder.
The conversation between Bai Lifen and Bai Yulan didn't go unnoticed, as the two other men with them—Bai Qiang who was warily eying his surroundings, wary of what caused the death of the Titanhide Rhino, and Bai Wenjie who was examining the dead behemoth with some fascination.
Wenjie murmured to himself, "This is truly fascinating… the Titanhide Rhino was torn apart from the inside, what could have done this? This is truly mysterious."
Nevertheless what they were doing, both of their attention were caught by what the two twin-tailed black-haired sisters talked about, quickly they scanned their surroundings for the figure they talked about, which they quickly caught glance of, Mikael sitting in a leisurely position while eying the sky with a nonchalant attitude.
Which was in extreme contrast with the surrounding that was nearly entirely destroyed, clearly the result of a great battle and with numerous demonic beast carcasses laying around, especially the Titanhide Rhino, it was truly a contrasting scene.
"Let's ask him what happened here," declared Bai Qiang as he strode toward Mikael without the slightest hint of caution.
Bai Yulan eagerly followed in his wake, her black eyes shimmering with unfiltered curiosity as they remained glued to Mikael's figure.
'Ahhhh, seriously…' Bai Lifen inwardly sighed before reluctantly trailing behind her cousin and twin. As she walked, her steps light but hesitant, she kept drifting into her own thoughts—unaware that her gaze kept wandering back to Mikael, only to snap away each time like a guilty reflex.
'I'm only following Yulan, okay? It's not like I'm interested in this man… this ridiculously good-looking man… no, that's not it! I just want to know what happened here. That's all! Totally normal, totally reasonable.' She gave herself a firm nod, convinced by her own logic—or at least trying to be.
Meanwhile, as the trio walked away, Bai Wenjie stayed beside the Titanhide Rhino carcass, feeling like something wasn't right. After all, seeing somebody alive in a scene of utter devastation like that seemed weird.
He observed them gradually walk away while thinking about the situation, but then he thought of something that had him widen his eyes in surprise and shock, 'And if this man wasn't simply a cultivator having stumbled on this scene like us but the one who caused it!'
Instantly his thoughts drifted to how the Titanhide Rhino was torn apart, 'A human could have been the one to do this, tearing it apart from the inside!'
As he had these thoughts, he was certain that his guess was the truth, so when his gaze returned to his three cousins, instantly his heart skipped a beat as he paled, all three of them were approaching what could be a monster capable of killing all of them without any caution.
They weren't aggressive or anything, in truth they were casual, but toward what could be something capable of killing them all—'I need to stop them!'
"Qiang, Yulan, Lifen, come back here!" Wenjie said with extreme seriousness.
The trio came to a stop, turning to look at him, their expressions filled with curiosity—as if silently asking, "What is it?"
"Come back here!" he once again repeated, his visage a mask of seriousness, which the trio saw, and after an exchanged glance, they made their way back beside the Titanhide Rhino carcass.
"What is it?" asked Bai Yulan with some impatience, clearly having something else she wanted to do above staying with her cousins and looking at a demonic beast's body…
Wenjie gave Mikael's figure a glance, and seeing that he didn't seem to have moved—still looking at the sky in a leisurely position, clearly not caring about them—he let out a relieved breath before explaining, "The figure you were approaching… I think he is the one who killed the Titanhide Rhino."
All of their expressions changed to become a mask of shock. "Are you sure of what you are saying? It's a Titanhide Rhino—even with us four working together we wouldn't have a single chance, and you're saying that this stranger is able to slay one!??" inquired Bai Qiang.
Bai Wenjie gravely nodded. "It's extremely probable, so it would be for the best to leave now without disturbing the senior… we don't want to anger him… do we?"
Bai Qiang quickly shook his head. "Y-yeah, let's leave, no need to stay here any l-longer," he stammered.
Wenjie was reassured when he saw their reaction, but the next moment he caught a shift in Bai Yulan's expression that sent a flicker of unease down his spine. His fears were proven true moments later when she parted her lips to speak,
"I don't think he is a bad person." Cough. "At least he doesn't look like one." She gave Mikael a sneaky glance before continuing, "We should go greet our senior. Leaving just like that would be impolite."
The next moment Yulan frowned as she received deadpan stares from everyone—even Lifen!
Understanding that they were against her 'brilliant' idea, she quickly acted. Turning toward Lifen, she spoke, "Lifen, don't act like you want to leave. I caught the sneaky glance you threw at this… this handsom—senior…"
She stopped mid-sentence, catching Lifen's glance that was more deadpan than ever. 'No, I need to change my "angle of attack" or else we will leave without greeting the senior.'
With a fire burning in her heart, she continued, "Think about it, Lifen, this is an opportunity to get acquainted with this handsome senior and maybe… even something more in the future. We have to seize chances like these! Or what, would you rather end up with ugly fellows like Qiang and Wenjie?"
Bai Qiang and Bai Wenjie's visage twitched at her words, and they nearly coughed up blood. In truth, they aren't ugly—they're actually quite handsome—but as they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder…
They took another hit when, moments later, Bai Lifen seemed to be convinced and gave a silent nod. A victorious expression appeared on Bai Yulan's face for a moment before disappearing as she looked at her two cousins.
She took on an expression of righteousness before continuing, "We need to go greet the senior before leaving, or else we would truly be impolite, unworthy of the support the Stillwater Palace and the Bai Family have given us. We can't disappoint them like that!" she finished with deep righteousness.
The men might have been convinced and believed in her 'speech'—if they hadn't seen her earlier actions and words, and didn't know her personality…
Knowing that at this step there was nothing more that could be done except damage control, Wenjie let out a sigh. "Okay, we can go see the senior, but we all need to be polite, alright?"
Bai Yulan nodded, easily accepting his terms. As for Bai Qiang, he simply followed along. So, on that note, the group of four began to approach Mikael.
Bai Yulan was leading the group, clearly the most enthusiastic. Just behind her was Lifen, and behind them were Bai Qiang and Bai Wenjie—the former seeming rather worried. As for Bai Wenjie, he camouflaged his unease and kept a calm expression, but inwardly…
He wasn't as calm, which became even more true when they neared the unknown cultivator's position and he realized he wasn't able to feel the aura of this 'senior.' 'A master… he can perfectly conceal his aura!' he realized, becoming more wary than ever.
As they stepped closer, a strange silence fell over the group—every footstep suddenly sounding far too loud against the cracked earth of the battlefield. The devastation around them, from scorched soil to the half-shattered boulder where the man rested, made the air feel heavier with each passing second.
Even the previously enthusiastic Bai Yulan seemed to have become more cautious and timid from the heavy aura in the air, and the aura of nonchalant power that the stranger emanated.
When they were close enough that not greeting him would seem disrespectful, Bai Yulan slowed her steps, cleared her throat softly, and offered a small bow.
"Ahem—greetings, Senior," Yulan began, clasping her hands politely, though the glint in her eyes betrayed her curiosity. "We didn't mean to intrude, but after seeing… all this…" she gestured at the ruined terrain, "we had to come and pay our respects."
Mikael didn't respond immediately. His posture didn't shift even an inch, his back still resting against the boulder, his head eying the darkened sky as if the nearby cultivators had nothing to do with him.
The silence stretched a beat too long, making the tension rise, before Mikael slowly turned his head toward them, giving them a slow, lazy nod. In those emerald eyes dwelled unprecedented calmness, but behind that was something fierce that passed for an instant.
An instant so short that for a moment Yulan wondered if she had hallucinated. 'No, I definitely saw something!' she thought, her interest overwhelming her caution. She took another step forward, approaching him, before giving him a small smile. "Would I have the honor of knowing Senior's name?" she tilted her head playfully, making her twin tails sway in the wind.
Mikael gave her a long glance before speaking. "Mikael Angelini. And you…" he gave the group a look over like he was seeing them for the first time, "…are Core Disciples of the Stillwater Palace?"
Bai Yulan froze for a moment before softly laughing, her voice like bells sounding. "I did not expect Fellow Daoist Mikael to recognize our sect, but yes, we are all Core Disciples of the Stillwater Palace. I am Bai Yulan. A pleasure to meet you." She did a small bow while giving his naked chest another sneaky glance.
At the same time, her gaze moved to his missing left arm, but she didn't comment or look too long, knowing it could be a sensitive subject. After all, people with missing limbs are generally sensitive about it, and she didn't want to make a bad impression—for reasons… that were undoubtedly different than the ones Wenjie was worried about…
She finished her small bow before signaling with her hand. "This is Bai Lifen, my twin sister who is also a Core Disciple. She is a little bratty and immature. I hope that you won't take offense."
"You!" Lifen became red and looked at her sister like she wanted to eat her alive.
Yulan gave her a hidden smile while mouthing, 'Sorry Lifen, but it's every girl for herself!'
Author Note:
EnjoyingAscension Through the Records?
A quick Power Stone, short review, or thoughtful comment helps the novel rise in the rankings.
A few words from me below.
———
Mikael attracts attention because he is too handsome…his curse or else if he was ugly or not without an upper robe maybe he wouldn't have attracted attention from this duo of sisters with Yulan seeming somewhat thirsty doesn't she?
Or it is truly the case? You will see more of it in the next chapter that's for sure.
———
Want to read ahead? Unlock advanced chapters on Patreon—just search SDASLUMMY.
You're part of this story's ascent. Thanks for being here.
— End of Chapter —