Heaven Awakening Path - Chapter 45

Wei Ming’s whole face was covered with congee, seeming extremely burned. Although this temperature was not enough to inflict injuries on him, the humiliation he’d suffered on the back of it was unprecedented. For a prideful individual like him, dying might sound a better option than suffering such a humiliation.

Wei Ming was an arrogant person without a doubt. However, the current him didn’t seem to plan on taking any action; even after suffering this humiliation, all he did was quietly stand up.

His hair, his face, and even his neck were all covered in congee. His appearance looked wretched and comical. However, he didn’t rush to clean immediately. By the time he stood up, he’d assumed a cold and indifferent expression; his usual expression. Though, this cold face along with the decorations of congee seemed even more comical.

He didn’t take notice of Lu Ping and the rest who were witnessing his comical appearance, neither did he chase after that woman; he turned around, entered the congee shop where he’d been kicked out just a moment ago, and said to the shop owner in a tranquil voice:

“Bring me a bowl of congee. I am waiting for someone.”

The shop owner looked at him with astonishment. Evidently, he didn’t expect such a response from this youngster. While he was still in daze, Wei Ming asked him another question:

“Is it possible?”

“Wait for a moment.” Shop owner recovered and returned to the kitchen. Subsequently, he brought back a bowl of congee with him.

“Thank you.” Wei Ming faintly rose from his chair(Tl: as a polite gesture). He took out a handkerchief from within his chest and carefully wiped off all the congee from his hair, face and neck; accomplishing it with perfection.

Then he began to drink the congee. He was drinking very calmly, as if nothing had occurred.

Lu Ping and the rest looked at each other blankly. Even Xi Fan, who could tell someone’s frame of mind and thoughts by observing his expressions and actions, was unable to guess what Wei Ming’s current thoughts were.

“Should we still go there?” Su Tang asked.

“We should. Don’t tell me you guys are not hungry?” Lu Ping said.

“Come come.” Mo Lin said and entered the shop first and the rest followed after him. They sat down at a table and asked for four bowls of congee. While eating, they continued to size up Wei Ming as if he was a pickle that would add additional flavor in their congee.

It lasted until footsteps sounded in the street outside, following which, two individuals arrived at the shop’s entrance.

The two individuals outside the shop stared blankly, and four of the individuals inside the shop also blankly stared in return, however, Wei Ming was still calm. He stood up and made a little bow towards the individuals outside:

“Young City Master, you’ve arrived.”

These two were actually Wei Tianqi and Wei Yang. Wei Ying had gone missing as usual. During the entire journey, he didn’t travel with them at all. His only appearance was during his yesterday night’s act.

“Why are they also here?” Upon seeing Wei Ming, Wei Tianqi’s heart immediately relaxed by a lot. He was itching to look for trouble with Lu Ping and the rest.

However, in response, Wei Ming didn’t even turn towards them. With a slight bow, he replied:

“It’s probably because the prawn congee here is very good. Coincidentally they also knew.”

“With them being here, I won’t have the appetite even if the congee happened to be better than this.” Wei Tianqi said.

“In that case, should we have the congee packed and take it with us?” Wei Ming seemed as if he sought Wei Tianqi’s opinion.

“What?” Wei Tianqi almost thought he’d misheard. Taking Wei Ming’s intelligence into consideration, he did not believe that Wei Ming had failed to understand the meaning behind his words. However, ‘by having the congee packed’, the latter had chosen to back off? To back off in front of these few individuals.

Wei Tianqi somewhat wished to flare up, however, as he recalled Wei Ming’s manner of taking action with extreme perfection, he felt that there might be some meaning behind this action of the latter.

“Let it be.” Wei Tianqi immediately restrained himself from bursting out. He believed that as long as Wei Ming was present, the end result will definitely satisfy him.

Soon afterward, another two bowls of congee were brought. Wei Tianqi took two bites. At this point, his mood was not bad. It might be because congee really had a good taste, or maybe because after meeting up with Wei Ming, the anxiety in his mind was eventually dissolved.

Then he began to wait for Wei Ming to display his plan and course of action. However, soon after, he saw Lu Ping and the rest settling their bills and about to leave.

Wei Tianqi looked at Wei Ming as the latter seriously drank his congee.

Steady, calm, and collected; the points which his father, Wei Zhong, had always liked the most about Wei Ming. He suddenly discovered that he truly could learn a lot from Wei Zhong.

In the end, what are his arrangements?

Wei Tianqi, while being full of expectations and making guesses, saw Lu Ping and the rest walking out of the shop and slowly disappearing from the street. Meanwhile, Wei Ming was still drinking his congee.

Wei Tianqi again waited for a short while to confirm that Wei Ming truly didn’t have any plans. Consequently, he immediately felt annoyed:

“Explain.” Wei Tianqi said.

He didn’t ask what; he just said explain. Because he knew the latter was a clever person. Talking with a clever person always saves a lot of trouble. The latter already knew what Wei Tianqi wanted him to explain.

“We have an important matter to take care of. Too many knots in a branch are not efficient enough.”¹

It sounded like a half-hearted excuse, however, for Wei Tianqi and even the entire City Master Mansion, this explanation was sufficient. In fact, no explanation could be stronger than this one.

Because the City Master Mansion emphasized efficiency. A matter that was not efficient enough, they will just not bother with it. This was their logic. Wei Ming was preserving the City Master Mansion’s way of dealing with things; even Wei Tianqi had no say in this matter.

This was also the reason Wei Ming had been able to quickly calm down recently. While congee was pouring down on him, he realized that all he’d been doing at that moment was increasing knots in a branch.

This kind of matters had to be stopped from hereon.

Thereupon, he regained his original way of doing things. He returned to the congee shop; the location they’d agreed upon to group up.

Therefore, afterward, when Wei Tianqi asked him to take action against Lu Ping and the rest, he preserved his cool. He will not allow himself to lose his temper again. He, who’d always acted with perfection before, had become too unsteady because of his plan’s failure yesterday. Previously, his actions had always been extremely successful and conducted extremely smoothly; he hadn’t expected that a single insignificant failure would have such a huge influence on him.

This one failure was enough for him to learn his lesson; he was a smart person after all.

Wei Tianqi had nothing to say; he could only silently drink his congee. Lu Ping and the rest stopped after a little while of walking on the street; they were also puzzled as they waited for the City Master Mansion’s group to flare up and try to look for trouble with them. They never expected that the latter would not react at all. During the whole journey, they hadn’t encountered any troubles from them at all.

“What’s happening?” Mo Lin scratched his head in puzzlement. His medical expertise had already been deemed as wrong, and now even the inference he’d made by relying upon his ‘Assassin’s Experience’ had turned out to be false?

“It seems he actually doesn’t want to grow new knots in a branch.” In the end, it was nevertheless Xi Fan. After carefully analyzing Wei Ming’s attitude, he was able to come up with a conclusion which was pretty close to the truth.

“Then should we go back or not?” Su Tang turned towards Lu Ping and asked. Originally Lu Ping wanted to talk with Wei Ming. However, he was dissuaded by Mo Lin’s ‘Assassin’s Experience; something about: ‘let the opponent strike first and find his weakness’² and all other kinds of confusing things. However, after arriving here, it turned out that the opponent didn’t show any weakness at all.

“Let’s forget it. I really can’t walk anymore!” Mo Lin was thoroughly frightened by Su Tang’s suggestion.

“We will do it later!” Surprisingly Lu Ping didn’t insist further.

Mo Lin let out a sigh. When he said ‘can’t walk anymore’, he suddenly recalled that scene when Lu Ping had resolutely advanced forward with Su Tang on his back, and subsequently thought that this guy wouldn’t go as far as to put him on his back and march back to the City Master Mansion’s group on the spot, would he? Fortunately, this terrifying possibility didn’t occur.

“Let’s first look for a place to stay. We should be able to arrive in Zhi Ling city tomorrow.” Xi Fan said.

Basically everybody spent the night in the Wang Town. In the morning, as they continued their journey, Lu Ping’s group ran into the students of Xia Feng at the entrance of the town. Both the groups were going in the direction of the Zhi Ling city.

At this point, a question rose amongst the students of Xia Feng. They were going to the Zhi Ling city because their Soul’s Tower had collapsed and they had to take the Bipolar institute’s Major Assessment, however, what were these guys of Zhai Feng doing? Why were they on the same road as them?

1. Tl: Idiom: Needless problems.
2. Tl: idiom 后发制人 = let the opponent strike first and find his weakness.