22 Chapter 22 – Lovers Squabble

Zhu Xuan admired the swords for a while and then covered them with a cloth and kept it safe. He will start practising with them once he is back.

Bai Ling standing next to her couldn't help but ask "Young master Shen, why did you buy a mortal sword with no way to place an array on it. With the amount of gold coins you spent for these swords, you could have bought a low grade elemental weapon, even a two elemental sword."

Weapons and armours are categorised based on the array structure engraved on them and the level of elemental Qi they will be able to utilise for attack. They are differentiated into low grade, mid grade, high grade and peak grade elemental weapons. They can be further differentiated based on how many elemental arrays are placed on the weapons, for example a low level grade sword with wind element and fire arrays placed on them can absorb both elemental Qi from atmosphere and used for attacking.

But low grade weapons can only give 25% more strength of the wielders strength with his technique, and higher the grades go, more elemental Qi they can absorb and use it to attack with more strength. The sword Bai Shuo used was a low grade water elemental sword. That is the reason it was too swift and flexible and the attack was 25% more stronger than his base power which gave a hard time for Zhu Xuan.

Zhu Xuan replied, "I'm only buying it for practising my techniques and I feel a sense of familiarity towards this sword, so I need to study it properly. Moreover, currently I don't need an elemental sword, since I can utilise my Qi in different ways."

Bai Ling also realised after he answered that he used various weapons formed from his Qi to attack so far, so it is not hard for him. Of course, Zhu Xuan didn't tell the truth that he bought it for studying and showing it to Senior Long to find the secrets behind it. Moreover, he will be buying weapons in Zhu clan later.

After they left the Blacksmith pavilion, they visited few places and he bought few books from Bookstore pavilion regarding knowledge about cultivation issues and issues regarding breaking through to Qi gathering stage and requirements, that he couldn't find in the library in Zhu clan.

They had a great time checking out various things, buying, and talking happily about various things. Zhu Xuan felt like they were on a date in Earth.

When they came across the artefacts pavilion, he thought he should buy her something since she has been helping him with buying things and spending time with him.

So they entered the pavilion and after searching through the entire pavilion, he bought her a necklace with a blue beads engraved with mid grade healing arrays on it. When she got the necklace from Zhu Xuan, she was so happy her eyes became slits. She thanked him happily with a blushing face "Thank you Young master Shen."

Zhu Xuan smiled and said "Not at all. Consider this as thanks for accompanying me today Bai Ling."

After that they left the pavilion and the inner city. Since it was already late, they had dinner in another restaurant. Zhu Xuan noticed that since leaving the pavilion she has been silent and felt disturbed about something, and didn't converse much with him. He didn't know what caused it, and wondered if he said or did anything wrong and thought back, but he couldn't see anything he did to make her silent and disturbed. They finished eating and walked towards the middle gate.

Zhu Xuan realised she looked even more sad as they reached the gate, and he thought it maybe because he is leaving and she is sad because of that, so he said "Bai Ling, I will come visit you whenever I come back to Qinglu city in the future."

Bai Ling replied without showing any emotions "Okay Young master Shen."

Zhu Xuan couldn't help but say "Why are you sad like this? I promise you I will visit you once a month when I come here. Cheer up Bai Ling."

Bai Ling got angry and shouted "Stop it. You are still calling me Bai Ling."

Zhu Xuan was puzzled why she is bursting out like that and was about to ask with a puzzled look on his face, when she continued her outburst "I didn't accompany you for you to thank me, I did it because I wanted to spend time with you. And, you are still calling me with my full name. It feels like we are still distant and not close at all."

When Zhu Xuan heard her outburst, he laughed out loud. He knew why she felt that way and understood now what he did wrong, but he couldn't help but laugh looking at her outburst. She looked cute. He would be lying to himself if he didn't realise by now he had some feelings for her.

Looking at him laughing at her outburst, she looked at him angrily with a pout. He stopped laughing and with an embarrassed look said "Ah.. Sorry I laughed, you look cute and couldn't control myself." She blushed when she heard him calling her cute and lowered her head.

He smiled and continued "I'm sorry if I made you feel distant, that was not my intention. I thought it's inappropriate to call you like that, so forgive me. Truthfully, I consider you a very good friend, and so you also don't need to call me young master either and I will call you Sister Ling from now. "

Bai Ling giggled happily and lifted her her head with a wide smile on her face and said "Hehe... Okay Brother Shen." She paused and continued "You will be visiting next month as you said earlier right?"

Zhu Xuan looked at her happy face and he also felt happy and content for no reason; he smiled and said "Yes, I will need to sell resources to Senior Wuji. So I will come every month and I will visit you definitely Sister Ling."

"Hmmm. Its a promise then, I will be looking forward to meeting you then Brother Shen" replied Bai Ling. She felt a little said that he is leaving and she will be only able to meet him after a month.

Zhu Xuan promised again that he will definitely meet her in a month and waved goodbye to her and walked out of the gate of the middle wall, leaving a sad looking Bai ling behind him.

"So when did he say he will come back?" A sudden voice from behind her startled Bai Ling. He turned to look at her uncle.

She calmed herself and turned to look at Zhu Xuan's back and said slowly "Brother Shen said he will be back in a month."

Bai Wuji laughed mischievously and said "Hoho.. Brother Shen huh? Looks like someone got close to Young master Shen."

Bai Ling blushed and retorted her uncle with face full of embarrassment "Stop it Uncle."

They both talked while looking at the disappearing figure of Zhu Xuan behind the gate, where as the Bai clan guards who has been watching all that was happening was shocked speechless form the quarrel with the young man.

After he left, he moved towards the slum area to change himself again, but after moving for a while he felt someone was following him with a hostile intent. He suddenly turned into an alley and hid himself in the shadows, restraining his aura. Two people made the same turn, moved past him, not realising he was hiding and already behind them. He found they were only eighth stage of body purification and attacked with lightning fast speed with both his hands at their back and broke their spine in one hit.

They both fell down screaming. He walked up to them, picked them up took them into an alleyway where no one was, and interrogated them. He found that it was Bai Shuo who sent them to find out where he lived. He thought "Maybe he was planning to send someone stronger after finding my place and kill me."

He killed them after the interrogation and looted them and left silently. He didn't bother with Bai Shuo since he didn't know his actual identity. He changed himself and moved towards Zhu clan gate. It was already late at night by the time he reached Zhu clan gate. He walked past the guards who were shocked to see him, and moved to his courtyard.

He went to his room after cleaning himself, and lay down on the bed. Today, he killed Zhu Kong, went and met Senior Wuji and Bai Ling, and then he had a conflict with Bai Shuo and crippled him. After that he spent whole evening with Bai Ling with ups and downs and got close to her. After leaving, he killed two scouts sent by Bai Shuo. He thought all happened today and spoke to himself "What an exhausting day."

He sighed with a complicated emotion, closed his eyes and went to sleep.