The moment Spark opened the door, he noticed the room was an office, and before the desk was an elder busying himself, carefully counting a pile of gold coins.
From his shifty eyes, crooked smile, and slender build, this elder embodied the traits of a roadside Earth-style scammer Spark had encountered various times.
Except this elder seemed to be dressed luxuriously. Spark didn't even need an introduction; he could already tell that this elder was definitely a merchant.
'Here I was expecting a grand being dwelling in seclusion,' he lamented, feeling let down.
Cough!
The escort behind Spark feigned a cough in an attempt to alert the man of their presence.
But the man was so focused on his calculation, he didn't even spare them a glance.
The escort behind, on seeing this, let out a pained sigh and just sat down on the floor with a resigned expression. From his carefree attitude, it seemed he was used to this habit of his master.
'Wait, don't tell me I have to wait till he counts it all… this… this is unreasonable,' Spark cursed inwardly, glancing at the small hill of gold coins. His expression warped further…
And so, he waited for what seemed to be an hour or two. Spark and the escort perked up in expectation as the elder finally plucked up the final coin at an agonizingly slow pace.
Whether purposely or not, he seemed to be taking his time, savoring their misery, as Spark and the escort repeatedly chanted in their heads, 'Just drop the freaking coin already, you miser!'
Ding!
That was the most heavenly sound Spark had heard all day. He quickly got up to his feet, ready for the introduction, when a servant came into the room. On their shoulder was another sack of coins.
Even when his body had been invaded by ferocious Qi, damaging his innards badly—even when he was exposed to the killing intent of mighty beings that left him half dead—Spark never cried once.
But right now…
"Drop it by the side. Let me not keep the guest waiting," the elder slowly stated, his voice crisp and full of satisfaction.
The servant quickly bowed and left.
Spark almost felt like kneeling in gratitude right then and there; waiting another hour would have driven him mad.
"Oh? You were here all along?" the elder finally seemed to notice Spark's figure. "Guo, why didn't you say something? Keeping guests waiting is impolite."
Spark's eyes twitched in irritation. 'You were clearly so immersed in your money-grubbing, you didn't notice me entering the office, you miser!'
"I apologise, master. I didn't want to distract you." Surprisingly, the escort named Guo didn't defend himself and just apologised outright.
The elder, who had found his way back behind his desk, just waved dismissively. "Whatever. Give me and the guest privacy. I want to speak to him."
Guo bowed, left, and shut the door behind him.
Spark quickly bowed. "Thank you, benefactor, for saving my life." He still thought that this elder had saved him from the sect masters.
The elder nodded approvingly. "It was nothing much." Examining Spark for a bit, he asked, "By the way, where did you get such gruesome injuries?"
The question stumped Spark. He replied with a question. "Wait, you don't know?"
"How would I know? We found you unconscious in the Barren Desert… You're lucky. Normally, my caravan doesn't take that route. It just happened to pass, and coincidentally, we found you," the elder explained.
Sensing something, the elder looked at Spark's confused visage. "Wait, don't tell me you've lost your memories?"
Seeing Spark's lack of response, he took that as a yes. "Ah, truly tragic, my boy, truly tragic… Now this is going to make my next words seem heartless," the elder sighed.
Spark frowned. He didn't answer purposely because of the simple fact that he needed information urgently.
And stating that he had amnesia was the easiest way he could inquire more about this world and his location. But he was truly confused—if the elder didn't save him, who did?
And what was this tragic news the elder wanted to deliver?
Shaking his head in pity, the elder started while sizing up Spark's bandages. "You can't blame me, boy. It may seem cold-hearted, but you have to leave."
"The wounds on your body—even after having several physicians treat you—show no sign of healing. Thankfully, we were able to stop the bleeding, but improving further is impossible."
Spark was shocked and confused. What did his injuries have to do with anything?
Fiddling with a coin, the elder continued, "You see, my boy, an injury which cannot be healed means it was inflicted by an immortal…
As for why an immortal did that to you, I don't know, and I don't care. All I know is that you have offended an immortal.
And that, my boy, is bad business."
Spark finally understood. It seemed that the sect masters were higher up the ladder of power than he thought.
And with the possibility that he might have offended an immeasurable being—if he was being hunted down by those masters—the catastrophe they might bring would be too much for the elder to bear.
The elder sighed. "I honestly wanted to ask you why or how you offended such a being. If it was something minor and not that serious, seeing that you're alive, I might be able to at least grant you shelter pending the time you reside in the mortal lands.
But you can't remember. That is too much of a risk for my family and business. I hope you understand."
Spark nodded, frowning. 'Things just keep getting more and more complicated.'
"But no worries. I'm not totally heartless. I can at least arrange someone to provide the basic information you need and also give you some change to get by for some time," the elder consoled.
Spark, not moved by the elder's words, directly asked, "What do you want in exchange?"
The elder suddenly let out a shrewd smile. "Ah, I knew I could recognize a smart man when I saw one…
It's nothing much, really. I only request that the esteemed guest help me take care of a slight problem."
Spark's eyes glistened. It seemed this elder mistook him for a cultivator—and he needed him to perform an assassination.