Xinyi held onto the sword like it was her only source of life. Yin Hu couldn’t help at how brightly she beamed. Her smile seemed to light up the entire courtyard. She had moved over next to the Great Tree’s offshoot. She couldn’t keep her eyes off the glistening blade and its shining inscription. 

Yin hu nodded at a job well done and laid back down, doing his best to ignore Hu Shui’s unwavering stare from the side. He covered his face with the wide-brimmed hat to take another nap, but he knew it was near impossible. You could taste her burning desire for a weapon as glorious as Xinyi in the air. But he wasn't so sure that was a good idea. 

The thought of arming what amounted to be a kid with a weapon deadly enough to kill and destroy real cultivators with a flick of the palm left a bad feeling in his chest. If someone was hurt, or if by accident she seriously injured herself, he wouldn’t be able to blame her. She simply didn’t know better.

It's like a child getting a hold of a gun. If he fires a shot into his leg, the child isn't sent to prison. No, the parents are locked up, and the kids removed from their lives due to negligence and a safety hazard. 

The safest weapon, he had still left a deep frown on his face. How safe could something at this level be? Even if it was a blunt knife.

‘Demented Butchers Blunted Knife’

No way Hu Shui would ever get something that sounded so evil. What if it corrupted her? He could already imagine her running around cutting people up like a butcher cleaving cattle. Her cute childish glee would bring in people close enough for her to end their existence.

What’s this?

Yin Hu was mentally going through what seemed to be an endless number of items and weapons. He suddenly found what could possibly be the only weapon that wasn't a sword or spear. It was a tiny hammer that had the same feeling as the second tier of swords and spears. 

But it was clearly not made for any offense. Maybe a last option if someone got close enough for blunt force. The ‘Stone Throw - Ursines’ Legacy’ was a perfect little thing for her. And she wouldn't–

A loud knock broke him from his thought trail. He feared the person would break the door gate. 

He took off the hat, too lazy to get up. 

Hu Xinyi had already wrapped her sword up into a tight bundle and had Hu Shui move in closer to him. Yin hu noticed the nervous tension in the air. They knew who was on the other side of the gate. 

Xinyi took a deep breath and opened the gate. 

All Yin hu could see from his perspective was a wide-shouldered figure whose head poked out slightly over the wall. A hulking figure if he had to guess compared to everyone he had seen so far in the town. 

Yin Hu felt his breath catch as the figure of the final boss he had seen in the air not so long ago walked into the courtyard. This close, he could see the scars and literal dents on the massive cultivator’s face. The heavy set of robes he had on clicked from the amount of metal adorned it. 

It was not made just to look good. This was what armor looked like if you didn’t want to wear a full knight suit. 

The Bandit Lord, he assumed, rubbed a hand through his mostly white beard. Sharp, intelligent eyes roving through the entire courtyard. Pausing at the sword with Xinyi with a stiff face, then finally falling onto his laid out form. 

Yin Hu wasn’t sure what the hell he was supposed to do. Eons of meditation gave him the ability to think clearly within milliseconds, but the lack of interaction with people limited his knowledge of what he was supposed to think about.

He pulled deeply from his font of endless years. It ratcheted his ancient persona up to the extremes. Its premise was simple. 

Act aloof, as though you have the answers, even if you are wrong. Ancient existences clearly knew something you don't.

Stay silent. Only speak when absolutely necessary. 

Unshakable confidence. If I was a being strong enough to wipe a person from the face of the earth, no situation would shake his belief in his imminent victory. 

Fuck this bullshit. There’s supposed to be progression, not jumping headfirst into a pot of sizzling oil.

The Bandit Lord gave a slight bow. “Greetings. Dong ZhenKang is the name of this humble cultivator.” he said with the slickest smile. 

Yin hu learned all too much with a single interaction. This man could not be taken lightly. He was a true Hustler. A man capable of selling bullshit and exaggerations at the highest level. Yin hu would honestly rather deal with a straightforward bull stronger than them all, then a person with both mind and brawn. 

As he continued to sit there, the silence kept getting longer. The two men, both nearly as old as the bandit lord, seemed to get restless. Dong ZhenKang himself plastered a slight smile on his face and it didn’t change a minute amount. 

Xinyi arrived next to him. She sat slightly in front of him. Even she looked uncomfortable with the dead silence. “You grace us with your visit. Bandit Lord.” She matched his slight bow in a seated position. 

Yin Hu leaned back and got comfortable. 

They are insects. Unworthy of your presence.

Those words were a constant mantra that he read to himself, like a prayer. He had to believe it. 

Dong ZhenKang cleared his throat. “Xinyi,” he started, surveying Yin hu for a response. “Why hadn’t you told me your ancestor arrived? I would have had everyone gather and cover him in adulation. Our humble town might not seem like much, but the people are quite impassioned.”

Xinyi gulped. She looked back at him for guidance.

Yin Hu gave her a reassuring nod, then looked away channeling aloofness. The clouds in the sky were quite fluffy…

“Thank you for your consideration, Bandit Lord. We…” she paused, her mind running a million miles a second. “...did not want any unnecessary attention. It can be quite bothersome.” She said with a polite smile. 

Dong ZhenKang, Yin hu noticed from his peripheral vision,  seemed to taste the words Xinyi had said. A knowing look passed through his eyes as he somehow found tidbits of information in those innocuous words.

Fucking hustlers. You lose no matter the situation. 

That only cemented his persona when facing Dong ZhenKang. Anything he could say would only show he didn’t know much at all. He didn’t know the very basics of this world and the system almost instantly integrated anything that would to ‘make the transition of information’ quicker and seamless. 

That led to the exact opposite, with him unable to access the system. He would have to navigate the world by grabbing tidbits and piecing them together. He already had the ranking system the compendium provided. He could use that as a starting base. 

“I see,” said Dong ZhenKang. He gave an exaggerated look at the courtyard and walls that needed slight repairs. “It brings me great shame to see your prestigious lineage–”

Xinyi stiffened visibly next to him.

“–in such a shoddy building. As soon as I learned that the illustrious Hu Heir and her family guard had been living in my little town, I rushed here. I could never let a once stronghold of the righteous world become leaves in the wind.”  

Dong ZhenKang’s smile was predatory. His eyes nearly closed shut and the wrinkles of age appeared on his weathered and scarred face.

WalkingWreckingCrew