novelraw Chapter 393 - 383: Unclaimed Magic Artifact!
Chapter 393 - 383: Unclaimed Magic Artifact!
Before long, Lai Zhuge’s car sped through the night, arriving in a flurry outside No. 1 Villa. He went straight through the undefended manor gate.
Holding two Zen Sticks wrapped in yellow cloth, Lai Zhuge entered through the open villa doors. He followed the sound of a television to a side hall and greeted the occupants with a laugh, "Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, I apologize for the disturbance at this late hour!"
Mr. and Mrs. Qin Chu sprang from the sofa, exclaiming in surprise as they took in the sight of Lai Zhuge, who exuded the aura of a sage-like hermit. "Are you the esteemed Lai Shenxiang, sir?"
"Haha! That whole ’Divine Physiognomist’ business is just flattery from outsiders. Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin, you can just call me Old Lai!" Lai Zhuge laughed, now appearing completely different—down-to-earth and affable.
"No, no, no, Lai Shenxiang, you are too modest, much too modest!"
Having not experienced the same journey as his son, Qin Chu naturally couldn’t adopt Qin Fan’s way of dealing with people. Even though Qin Fan had given him the capital to look down upon the world, at his core, Qin Chu remained the same cordial and polite man he had always been.
"This isn’t modesty, Mr. Qin, Mrs. Qin. I feel very honored to have met you. Haha, well, I won’t interrupt you any longer! I’ll go ahead and find Young Friend Qin," Lai Zhuge laughed heartily, shaking his head. He then raised a finger and pointed upward. Amidst the couple’s polite laughter, he headed for the stairs.
On the rooftop, Lai Zhuge found two figures brewing kung fu tea in the night air. "Master Qin, Fourth Young Master Ye, what refined taste!" he boomed with a laugh.
"Lai Shenxiang, long time no see. I trust you’ve been well," Qin Fan said with a light laugh as the man approached.
"Thanks to your blessings, Master Qin, all is well! Here, these are the two Zen Sticks!" Lai Zhuge stopped and whipped off the yellow cloth, revealing two pitch-black Zen Sticks that exuded a strange, eerie aura. Although Qin Fan had wiped away the evil spirits’ aura, the malicious intent that had steeped into them for so long would not dissipate so quickly, especially since Lai Zhuge, not daring to tamper with them, had kept them wrapped in the yellow cloth the entire time.
Sensing a slight resurgence of malicious intent from the Zen Sticks, Qin Fan frowned. "Hmm? Lai Shenxiang, you haven’t touched these?"
"No. I wasn’t sure how to handle them, so I didn’t dare use them," Lai Zhuge answered truthfully.
"Fine, give them to me," Qin Fan nodded.
As Lai Zhuge handed them over, the Zen Sticks began to tremble faintly the moment they touched Qin Fan’s hands, shocking Ye Jizu.
What’s going on here?
"Lai Shenxiang, what are these Zen Sticks?" Ye Jizu asked, his voice trembling with shock.
"Trophies from Master Qin’s battle with a few evil monks from Thailand," Lai Zhuge replied. Since he hadn’t asked Ye Jizu to leave, he knew Qin Fan wouldn’t mind him explaining.
What in the world? Trophies? Evil monks from Thailand? What kind of situation is this?
But Ye Jizu knew his place and didn’t ask further. Instead, he turned his attention back to the Zen Sticks in Qin Fan’s hands. He watched as the Zen Sticks trembled with increasing speed and intensity, as if they were experiencing something terrifying.
"Be still," Qin Fan said with an amused chuckle, slightly tightening his grip.
At his words, the Zen Sticks immediately grew still.
Lai Zhuge and Ye Jizu stared wide-eyed at the sight. They had no idea that Qin Fan was channeling his True Qi into the artifacts. Under the overwhelming power of his Golden Core True Qi, how could the meager Spiritual Sense of a Magic Artifact possibly resist? Qin Fan continued to steadily pour his True Qi into the now-still Zen Sticks. The malicious intent that had shown signs of resurgence was swiftly neutralized, replaced by a sacred, righteous aura. The pitch-black surface then began to transform eerily, inch by inch, revealing a brilliant golden luster. This was the true, original color of the Zen Sticks.
Seeing the golden sheen spread and then settle, Lai Zhuge asked in utter shock, "Master Qin, is-is this the true form of the Zen Sticks?"
"That’s right. Before they became Evil Artifacts, they were Magic Artifacts first. You should understand this principle. Once all the malicious energy is erased, their original luster is naturally restored," Qin Fan nodded.
"Master Qin, you-you are truly a divine being!" Lai Zhuge was stunned into silence for several seconds before he finally exclaimed.
Every time he met Qin Fan, he was met with a new level of shock, and this time was no exception. Erasing malicious intent and restoring an artifact’s true luster... It sounded simple, but it was incredibly difficult to achieve. As someone who had spent years dealing with Magic and Evil Artifacts, Lai Zhuge understood this better than anyone. As far as he knew, dispelling the evil aura cultivated within a Magic Artifact was possible, but it required an immense amount of time for it to settle naturally. Yet in Qin Fan’s hands, how much time had passed? Even a Heavenly Master couldn’t alter the very essence of a Magic Artifact so effortlessly! This young Grandmaster, capable of slaying an expert at the Great Success of the Transformation Realm, couldn’t possibly be a mere Martial Artist. Absolutely not! From slaying a flood dragon at Yanjing Ridge with the Ninth Layer Heavenly Thunder, to cracking the secret of the Thunder Drawing Qiankun Gua at the Geomancy Association, then eradicating the evil spirits from the Zen Sticks at the Li Family’s villa in Macau, and now dispelling their deep-seated malice in a single stroke... What did this continuous display of Divine Skills mean? Lai Zhuge couldn’t think any further. He simply couldn’t fathom the heaven-defying heights Qin Fan had reached amidst all these mysteries.
"Here, take them," Qin Fan said, tossing the sticks to Lai Zhuge. "As I said last time, consider these Zen Sticks my thanks for accompanying me in Macau. In the future, with these in hand... I can’t speak for the Underworld, but any and all monsters and demons lingering in the mortal realm will have to give you a wide berth."
Lai Zhuge stumbled as he caught them. Before he could even speak, Qin Fan added, "I’ve erased all of their previous imprints. They are now ownerless Magic Artifacts. You can claim them with a drop of your blood."
Ownerless Magic Artifacts? Claiming them with blood?
Hearing these words, Lai Zhuge’s heart began to pound in his chest.
"I thank you for this immense grace, Master Qin!"
THUD.
Lai Zhuge dropped to one knee, his breathing ragged in a reflexive act of reverence.
It went without saying how difficult it was for a Fortune Teller to obtain a suitable Magic Artifact. This magnificent gift from Qin Fan fulfilled a desire he had pursued for more than a decade! For Qin Fan to declare that all monsters and demons would have to give these sticks a wide berth was proof enough of their unimaginable power. Under such circumstances, kneeling to express his gratitude for this favor? Lai Zhuge felt it was perfectly appropriate!
"There’s no need for such formalities. That we met, that you chose to follow me—it is fate, ordained by the heavens. I, Qin Fan, am never stingy with the people by my side," Qin Fan declared, standing up with an air of spirited arrogance.
With that, he walked to the railing of the terrace, his hands clasped behind his back. He gazed out at the distant, dwindling city lights as his Divine Sense rapidly spread out, blanketing the area.
This night was destined to be a night of slaughter.
This night was destined to be a night of wrath for the Guardian Institute.
PS: I’ve caught a cold. My head feels heavy, my body is tired, and my limbs are weak, so I can’t keep going! I’ll just update this much for now. Going to take some cold medicine and get some sleep! Once I’ve recovered my energy, I’ll release a big batch of Chapters as compensation.