Chapter 25: Cross-server Chat
Jiang Ce looked at the young man who spoke, feeling that the other was a few years older than himself, but with a pure and kind appearance, seeming very easy to deceive.
As soon as the young man finished speaking, the Tide Old Man, with whom he had a brief encounter before, also landed in front of Jiang Ce.
Behind him followed several people dressed differently.
There was one like a master of ceremonies, one like a white-collar worker, one like a delivery worker, and even one who was clearly a cook with dough still stuck on his hands.
And these people vaguely took the Tide Old Man as their leader.
Jiang Ce immediately became vigilant.
Undoubtedly, these people were all cultivators, but it was unknown whether they were enemies or friends.
Just as Jiang Ce was thinking about how to respond, the Tide Old Man said something in a language that Jiang Ce couldn’t understand at all.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ce was instantly stunned in place, his expression somewhat unsightly.
Seeing Jiang Ce’s huge reaction to this sentence, the Tide Old Man confirmed in his heart that Jiang Ce must be one of those rats.
But just as he was about to have someone capture Jiang Ce, Jiang Ce suddenly reacted, pointing at the Tide Old Man indignantly and saying righteously:
“This is China! Please speak Mandarin!”
The Tide Old Man was momentarily unable to process it and subconsciously replied: “You didn’t understand?”
“I only understand Mandarin, because I am a noble Chinese citizen!”
Hearing this nonsensical reply, the Tide Old Man’s forehead wrinkled like a bitter melon.
You didn’t understand, so why are you pulling a long face?
However, even if Jiang Ce wasn’t pretending not to understand but truly didn’t understand those phrases the rats always had on their lips, it still couldn’t rule out the possibility that he was an enemy.
Therefore, the Tide Old Man continued to bluff: “Our appearance here, surely you know what’s going on, right?”
Jiang Ce glanced at the Tide Old Man, recalling the various details from when he left Chen Mian’s house earlier, and had a guess in his heart.
“Heh, Uncle Chen told you?”
Jiang Ce slightly raised his chin, an action that made him, already a head taller than the Tide Old Man, appear extremely arrogant.
Seeing his demeanor, the three people behind the Tide Old Man were full of dissatisfaction and intended to teach this discourteous evil cultivator a lesson, but just as they moved, the young man who noticed their intentions stopped them and reminded in a low voice.
“Don’t act rashly, that vengeful spirit was stronger than any I’ve seen, yet it still killed itself in front of him; we might not be his match.”
Clearly, the Tide Old Man also heard the young man’s words behind him and said slowly without turning his head:
“He is a Seventh Rank Jianghu sorcerer.”
“Seventh Rank?!” The four behind him all drew in a sharp breath; any one of them was older than Jiang Ce, but the strongest among them was merely the cook who had just entered Eighth Rank this year.
They couldn’t imagine how such a young man had accumulated so much merit.
So there was only one possibility left: he was an evil cultivator who cultivated using ghosts and monsters!
The Tide Old Man didn’t deliberately lower his voice, so it clearly reached Jiang Ce’s ears as well.
After hearing it, Jiang Ce remained outwardly calm but was startled inside.
What the heck? Not only did he see through his identity as a cultivator at a glance, but even his underwear was seen through?
Logically, unless he actively circulated the power of lack of merit to expose it, just from his restrained state, at least three minor realms higher than himself would be needed to see through it.
In other words, the Tide Old Man was at least Fourth Rank, or even Third Rank?
Thinking of this, Jiang Ce maintained a cocky appearance on the surface, but felt somewhat frustrated inside.
So he sneered: “Heh, we’re all friends from the cultivation world; is it worth making such a big fuss over such a small matter?”
Seeing Jiang Ce still pretending to be cool even when death was imminent, the cook couldn’t hold back first.
You’re Seventh Rank and better than me, but can you be better than a Heaven-Reaching Dharma Master?
“You think this is a small matter?” The cook was full of anger: “What you did are all heinous great evils!”
Seeing the other get truly angry, Jiang Ce felt a bit depressed too, and an unnamed fire rose in his heart as he glared at the Tide Old Man: “It’s just a little family matter between me and you all, yet you went around telling everyone? How am I supposed to get by after this?”
At these words, the Tide Old Man was instead stunned.
“What nonsense are you talking about? What family matter do I have with you?”
Not only the Tide Old Man, but even the most furious cook was like doused with a basin of cold water, uneasily looking toward his companions.
The master of ceremonies and the white-collar worker also showed doubt on their faces, wondering why Jiang Ce was biting back.
Only the young man looked at Jiang Ce, then at the Tide Old Man, with a full face of watching the drama.
Seeing the Tide Old Man not reacting, Jiang Ce directly took the offensive:
“Are you Uncle Chen’s teacher? Don’t pretend, I heard him call you that.”
“So what if I am?”
“Then isn’t Uncle Chen like both a teacher and a friend to me?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then rounding it off, don’t you and I also have some relationship? So why isn’t the matter between us three a family matter?”
“This…” The Tide Old Man was speechless; after all, what Jiang Ce said was true. Chen Mian had passed the Soul Soothing Technique to Jiang Ce, which counted as a favor of imparting the Dao, and strictly speaking, he was actually Jiang Ce’s master grandfather.
But one thing is one thing; you can’t splash dirty water on my head. Doesn’t this mean that even the matter of you being an evil cultivator involves me too?
However, explaining the reasons among them was too complicated, and the Tide Old Man didn’t want to argue further with Jiang Ce; he worried that saying two more sentences would make this kid say even more outrageous things.
Looking at the four subordinates he brought for training, their expressions were already clearly off.
Realizing something was wrong, the Tide Old Man pointed at Jiang Ce with joined fingers and said righteously: “Even if things aren’t as simple as you say, even if you really are my disciple’s disciple, so what? I will still eliminate family for justice!”
Hearing this, Jiang Ce exploded directly: finding trouble with me and calling people to block me wasn’t enough, now you’re taking advantage of me too?
You really think too highly of yourself!
Even if I can’t beat you, so what? For such a small matter, considering Chen Mian’s face, can you really kill me?
“Disciple’s disciple? Am I too gentle, or did your rebellious phase come too late?”
While venting his dissatisfaction, Jiang Ce secretly attacked the Tide Old Man, but to his disappointment, the Tide Old Man didn’t get instantly killed by one sentence like Aatrox or the previous male ghost, which made Jiang Ce involuntarily ponder whether it was because the Tide Old Man was too strong or his one-word superpower only worked on ghosts and monsters.
He didn’t know that his Seventh Rank cultivation, with no sorcery learned except the Soul Soothing Technique, didn’t even have the qualification to break the Tide Old Man’s defense; it was directly blocked by the Tide Old Man’s protective true qi, without attracting any notice.
An attack that no one could guard against was undoubtedly terrifying, but unfortunately Jiang Ce’s strength was too low, so it looked as if he hadn’t launched it at all.
Thus, Jiang Ce became even more irritated, ignoring the five people who were incredulous at his extremely arrogant words, and continued his defiant output:
“Fine, fine, fine! You’re all right, I’m heinous, I’m not human, everyone must punish me!
You’re amazing, you’re noble, you’re all friendless moral paragons! I just took some materials; with my relationship with Uncle Chen, do you think he wouldn’t give them to me if I asked directly? It doesn’t even count as stealing!
And you, as his teacher, instead of setting an example and being magnanimous, make a big deal out of it, call people to block me, and poke at my back; you’re really something!
If you have the guts, call the person involved here too. If even Uncle Chen thinks I’m stealing his stuff, okay, I admit it; count it as me being overly familiar thinking we were close.
But I must state one thing first: even if I break ties with him later, I won’t quit my job at the funeral home; my file is already in, and it’s impossible for me to give it up over something this small.
Not to mention you five; even if you bring fifty more, it’s still the same: no money, and I won’t give my life either!
All older than me, yet with such low cultivation; don’t you think I’d be an ordinary person? Dare to touch me and see; don’t sleep too soundly at night then!”
Although alone, this didn’t hinder Jiang Ce from using the tiger’s skin to bluff; cultivation wasn’t about fighting and killing, but about relationships and worldly wisdom; in the end, wasn’t it about background and connections?
Although he had been impulsive earlier from being angered, it was still salvageable; hadn’t the few who just wanted to beat him up clearly calmed down upon hearing this?
After saying this, Jiang Ce pretended to be aloof and directly turned around, supporting the bicycle at his feet while sneering:
“Hit me if you’re going to; if not, I’m going home to jerk off.”
The Tide Old Man was full of shock; he then realized that perhaps from the beginning, Jiang Ce had misunderstood something.
And the two of them had been chatting across servers for so long without anyone feeling anything was off.
Just as the Tide Old Man wanted to stop him and directly question what sect he came from and where he got this evil cultivator method, the young man who had been watching the drama spoke first.
“Stop!”
Jiang Ce turned back, full of disdain: “You really want to fight?”
“What is jerking off?”
