Chapter 184 – Splitting Edge (1/2)

Chapter 184 – Splitting Edge

“Those Ash Cloaked Heretics are Level 32 Elites,” Nie Yan informed. He reappeared in front of Tuoba and Forthright after sneaking back.

“Level 32 Elites…? We definitely can’t deal with them.” Tuoba wrinkled his brows. It was impossible for them to deal with three Level 32 Elites with their current line up. He estimated they’d all be wiped out after a single round of spells.

“Should we head back and find some more party members?” Forthright asked, putting away the greatsword in his hand.

“No, let those bunch of scoundrels be. They definitely won’t come. All of the Withered Leaf players are preoccupied with running dungeons. I’m guessing they probably won’t have any free time until the day after tomorrow. Besides, we’re going to have to log off in thirty minutes anyway. So let’s call it a day. We’ll bring more people with us next time,” Tuoba suggested after checking the server time.

“You’re right. There isn’t enough time left today,” Nie Yan said. Thirty minutes wasn’t long enough for him to explore the central hall. He was better off finding a safe place to log out.

“Are you planning to return to Calore?” Tuoba glanced at Nie Yan and asked.

Nie Yan nodded his head. “I’m going to explore a bit deeper before logging off.”

“Really? You still want to go further inside?” Forthright asked in surprise. Exploring the depths of the Light Monastery by himself… was he looking to die?

Tuoba was also bewildered. Although Nie Yan’s strength could still be considered decent, he absolutely was not a match for these Elites.

“Don’t forget, I’m a Thief.” Nie Yan smirked.

Tuoba stared blankly, then let out a clear laugh. “You’re right, I almost forgot!”

The Thief class had an innate advantage of being able to go where other classes couldn’t. An ordinary Thief absolutely wouldn’t dare to explore particularly dangerous areas, but Tuoba had made the mistake of judging Nie Yan as an ordinary Thief.

Tuoba and Forthright had witnessed Nie Yan’s capabilities for themselves. Maybe he really could sneak into the central hall by relying on his skills.

“If you find any Paladin equipment, save them for me,” Tuoba said. He was a bit impressed by Nie Yan for daring to explore such a dangerous place.

“Me too! I need Warrior equipment,” Forthright loudly chimed in from the side.

“I’m just going inside to take a look. I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to bring anything back,” Nie Yan replied. He was also going there for the sake of retrieving the Chapter of Justice. As for other things, they’d be truly difficult to obtain. But who could know for certain? He might encounter just some amazing treasure inside.

“No problem, just keep it in mind. Well, we’ll be heading back first,” Tuoba said. There was no point in them staying here any longer.

“Mhm, sure!” Nie Yan nodded. Tuoba and Forthright definitely couldn’t progress any further today, unless they were somehow able to bring some people back here to clear out the Ash Cloaked Heretics in a short span of time.

“See ya later, pal! Remember to get me a few pieces of Warrior equipment,” Forthright said with a wide grin.

“Don’t worry. If I find any Warrior equipment, I’ll definitely save them for you.” Nie Yan chuckled. He felt Forthright’s character truly matched his name, straightforward and without any hidden schemes. He had a good impression of Tuoba and Forthright. They were certainly people worth befriending.

Although Nie Yan had reincarnated, he didn’t feel his skills would allow him to trump over everyone. Even so, having knowledge of the future possessed one very large advantage—and that was the ability to recruit various heaven-defying talents to his side. With Tuoba and Forthright in the guild, Asskickers United gained two more experts.

Taking out a Return Scroll each, Tuoba and Forthright began activating them. Twenty seconds later, they were whisked away with two brilliant flashes of light.

Nie Yan glanced at the ceiling of the monastery. He spotted wooden beams about five meters above his head. They were carved with all sorts of designs which looked detailed and elegant on closer inspection. If he wanted to get past those three Elites, he had no choice but to climb over them by using the ceiling beams. However, there was too little time, and it was dangerous for him to log off in the central hall. He left the corridor to do a bit of grinding outside. After which he found a safe spot to go offline.

Setting aside the game helmet on top of his bedside table, Nie Yan walked out of his room to discover numerous large boxes sealed with tape, blocking the hallway. It seemed much of the furniture and items in the house had already been packed away.

Nie Yan’s mother called out to him after spotting him walk out of the room. “Little Yan, we’re going to move to the city in two days. Your dad just registered his own company, so we’re moving closer to his office. We’re planning to transfer you to a high-class prep school in the city as well. I hear they’ll be able to teach you a few things you can’t learn here, and you’ll get a better education. When you have the time, you should say goodbye to your classmates.”

“Sure, I understand. Mom, let me help you pack.” His mother’s words reminded him of the previous timeline. His father had moved the whole family to the capital around this time as well.

While helping his mother pack, Nie Yan heard his father writing away in the study room. He guessed it probably had something to do with the company.

Summer vacation was coming to a close, and the new school year was about to start. Nie Yan thought of Xie Yao. He’d finally get to meet her again. He wasn’t sure what she was up to lately. An intense sense of longing washed over him, like the pleasant burning sensation of a strong spirit going down his throat as he recalled her pleasant smile in his mind.

It had been a long ten years—an entire lifetime for him even, yet the feelings he had for her had never faded. In fact, they had only grown stronger over time.

During his last year of high school, his heart had been thoroughly snatched away by her. But back then, he had been a hopeless coward, muddleheaded and incapable of confessing his love. All he could do was hide behind a corner and timidly sneak glances at her. Yet the fact that he could even catch a glimpse of her every day left him content to go about his complacent life.

This life, however, would be different. He would never repeat the same, disastrous mistakes.

Nie Yan helped his mother pack away various household items. Anything that they needed would be stored inside a box.

“Mom, we don’t need to bring these things. We won’t have any use for themy anyway.” Nie Yan pointed at a medium-sized box full of antiques. He remembered that in his past life, all they did was collect dust and take up space in the basement of their villa.

“It’s no problem. We can bring a little extra. I’m fine storing them in the basement. We could probably put some of them on display,” Nie Yan’s mother replied with a faint smile, a hint of nostalgia in her voice. She wore an expression full of reminiscence as she took out some of the items from the box to examine.

Spotting the wrinkles that had formed near his mother’s eyes as she smiled, Nie Yan was beset with a feeling of melancholy. His mother had grown old before he even realized. She got engaged with his father when she was in her early twenties, giving birth to him less than a year later. Afterwards, his father left to serve in the army for five years, but she had never once complained. When the family reunited later on, they lived in constant poverty. She toiled endlessly from morning to late evening every day to help support the household. Her youth quickly faded away. Yet despite the bitter hardship, she went about her life with no complaints.

Even when the family became wealthy later on, the relationship between his parents had always stayed strong.

His father very rarely expressed his feelings, but he was a man who deeply cared for his family, an aspect about him that Nie Yan respected the most.

Shabby as those items may be, he now understood why his mother wanted to bring them along. They carried the memories of the past and a lifetime of countless trials and tribulations, when she along with his father struggled to create a family. Even though those times were full of hardship, they represented a simple kind of happiness.

Recalling that his mother had suffered even more hardship in the previous timeline, partially because of him, Nie Yan couldn’t help but feel guilty. A strong desire to take responsibility arose from deep within his heart. Whoever dared to encroach on the happiness of his parents in this life, he’d make sure they would forever disappear from the world.

“Your Uncle Lin and his family will also move with us. We bought a large villa on the outskirts of the city. It’s quite spacious,” his mother warmly explained after noticing that he had gone silent.

“I understand.” Nie Yan nodded and smiled. He carefully packed away all of his mother’s things, wrapping them in cloth to prevent them from getting damaged to some extent before storing them in a box.

“Your father is planning to give some shares of his new company to your Uncle Lin and Uncle Liu, my youngest brother; your cousin, Ah Chen; and some of our other relatives. Although our situation has gotten a lot better, we mustn’t forget those who’ve helped us out. Remember, if it weren’t for them, who knows where our family would be right now?” Nie Yan’s mother earnestly reminded.

Nie Yan’s father was a deeply sentimental man. He always kept in mind those who had treated his family well in the past. When his father had asked Old Lin, Old Liu, and his youngest brother-in-law for money, they insisted on not taking interest. The people who did only agreed to because his father was being stubborn. Even then, it still wasn’t very high. As for Ah Chen, needless to say, he had done the most for the Nie family. Thanks to Ah Chen running all over the place on his father’s behalf, the company could finally be started. So, naturally, he would receive the largest share of the company. As for Luo Ming and his group, they had acted no differently from loan sharks when his parents had asked borrow money from them—not to mention they had hounded him on numerous occasions to pay back the debt despite knowing full-well that his parents weren’t home. His parents were greatly disappointed that they had such contemptible relatives.

Suddenly, there was knocking on the front door.

As his mother got up to answer the door, Nie Yan quickly stopped her. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he shook his head and said, “Mom, no need… Let me go answer it instead.”

Nie Yan was now much more thoughtful than he was in the past. His mother showed a gratified smile. She nodded her head and sat back down.

Nie Yan opened the door to the sight of who else but Luo Ming and his loathsome face?

“Little Yan, are your parents home?” Luo Ming asked with an awkward yet somewhat ingratiating smile.

“Scram!” Nie Yan’s expression frosted over. Back then, his father had only given Luo Ming’s group some shares in the company because they had begged shamelessly. Who could’ve guessed that they’d plot against his father later on, leading to him committing suicide out of depression after losing all control of his company? He absolutely wouldn’t allow these events to repeat themselves in this life.

“How can you speak to me like that!? I’m your uncle!” Luo Ming attempted to use his seniority to restrain Nie Yan, but his confidence faltered after seeing the icy glint in Nie Yan’s eyes.

Just as Nie Yan was about to slam the door shut on Luo Ming, his mother’s voice came from behind. “Little Yan, who’s at the door?”

“Sis! It’s your big brother! Little Yan won’t let me in. I just want to talk for a bit. I’ll leave right after,” Luo Ming shamelessly called out.

Nie Yan’s mother furrowed her brows. “Little Yan, let him in.”

Although Nie Yan despised Luo Ming, he didn’t dare disobey his mother and stepped aside.

After Luo Ming entered the house, he was followed by his wife and the other relatives who clung onto him.

Luo Ming took a quick glance at the study room, then let out a forced laugh. “It seems my brother-in-law is pretty busy these days, huh?”

“What do you want? Speak.” Nie Yan’s mother thought back to the time when she and her husband asked them to borrow money. Luo Ming’s group treated them like strangers and even responded with hostility.