81 Virtues And Shortcomings

Late that night, everyone fell asleep by the bonfire except Han Jin. The news about the massive invasion to be made by the Vampire Guards frightened them all, but it couldn't stop their demand for sleep. After all, it was a crisis in the future, not now.

Han Jin was sitting directly by the fire, occasionally throwing some dried sticks into it from time to time. He was pondering something, and that was: how to seize the opportunity to build a city of his own, in which he held supreme influence, or could at least be the final decider in all matters. What should he do to seize this opportunity as the situation fell further into chaos?

As a cultivator who had also part-timed as a private detective in the past, he was neither a hero of great ambition and virtue, nor was he very interested in anything military-related. Strictly speaking, he was just an ordinary person who was good at reading the minds of others due to his profession and extensive experience.

Now, he had set a goal for himself, but he was at a loss regarding how to realize this goal and where to start.

Suddenly, he heard a low groan. Han Jin raised his head and looked toward the source of the sound. Reg was making tiny movements and struggling to raise his head.

"You have woken up. It seems you are even healthier than I expected," Han Jin immediately walked toward him and said in a low voice.

His face reminded Reg of the last scene he had seen before fainting. Reg wanted to say something, but some kind of malodour which was wafting out from his own body stopped him. He looked down to find his arms covered by bloodstains. On his palms, there were many black-red blood clots, as if he had climbed out from a pool of blood.

"You... saved me?" Reg showed an expression of astonishment.

"Don't think too much. You need to rest now," Han Jin gave him an irrelevant answer. Han Jin was not a very boastful person. In his eyes, he had only brought Reg here; he hadn't really saved him, so he couldn't consider himself as Reg's lifesaver.

"Did you kill them?" Reg couldn't help asking.

"No, I didn't," Han Jin replied honestly.

"You have already saved me. Are you afraid that I will betray you?" Reg showed a bitter smile. He didn't believe Han Jin's reply at all. If Han Jin hadn't killed all the knights, he would have already been captured again. What's more, where had the blood which covered his body came from?!

"Ha..." Han Jin made a dry cough. He didn't know how to explain it.

"Thank you," Reg said in a low voice. Though his thankfulness was simple, his tone was very firm.

"Not at all." Han Jin smiled.

He thought it natural to accept Reg's gratitude. If he had not brought Reg out from the village, Reg would have either frozen, starved, choked to death on the pool of blood, or have been killed by the vampires. When they had pulled Reg out from the corpses, his face and even his nose had been full of blood. It was Han Jin who had personally cleaned him.

A trace of an intricate feeling was reflected in Reg's eyes. Han Jin's acceptance of his gratefulness explained a lot of things, including why he was lying by a bonfire and not dead. A moment later, Reg said in a low voice, "You have gotten yourself into great trouble. You shouldn't have saved me."

"Trouble? Haha..." Han Jin smiled. "I don't care about trouble." He meant it. Since he had come to this world, he had gone through nothing but troubles.

But unlike Reg, Han Jin always dressed himself up clean and tidy. His natural and unrestrained manner, as well as the calm expression on face, left a great first impression on Reg. In the eyes of Reg, Han Jin was a very courageous man - a man with an indescribable temperament who could tackle complicated problems in a very easy manner. Such temperament could greatly impress others, or at least Reg thought so.

Reg didn't say anything more. He had thanked Han Jin with words already. He knew that it was not enough at all, but he could only keep this favor deep in his mind.

"Well, you should rest now. Recovering from your injury is the most important thing." Han Jin reminded him again, "When your wounds are healed, you can leave, if you'd like. We will not detain you. But if you want to stay with us, you are welcomed. We will share our food with you as long as we have." This said, Han Jin drew a Charm of Spirit Refreshment into the air and threw it into Reg's body.

Reg was startled at first, but soon felt ashamed of his reaction. He had instinctively assumed the person who had just saved him was going to attack him with a spell. A moment later, the expression on his face greatly altered as he felt the drastic change the charm brought to his body. "What kind of magic... is that?" he asked in a tremulous voice.

"Helpful magic," Han Jin replied indirectly with an unfathomable smile.

Cessacioun slowly opened his eyes and raised his thumb at Han Jin from an angle invisible to Reg. He knew exactly what an amazing feeling it was. Almost all professionals in this world desired to reach the highest peak, but few had enough confidence due to the limitation of aptitude, energy and time.

However, Han Jin's magic subverted all of these limitations. As long as one could get help from Han Jin, his dream could become reality sooner or later! Cessacioun knew, from his own feelings the first time he had tasted this magic, that it was a great temptation to any professional.

"You are awake too?" Han Jin smiled to him.

"Shh..." Cessacioun put his index finger on his lips and pointed to the other side.

Looking in the direction where Cessacioun was pointing at, Han Jin nearly burst into laughter. Moxinke and Sylner were intertwined with each other, fast asleep. They had a private conversation before sleeping, and now, Moxinke was sleeping like a baby. His face, which was permeated with a sweet smile full of happiness, was buried between Sylner's breasts, and his body was under one of her legs.

In fact, Moxinke was a light sleeper, but he still slept well even a leg was on his chest.

"Raphael, do you know the relationship between the two?" Cessacioun asked in a low voice.

"Hasn't he told you?"

"No. I asked him, but he told me to mind my own business," Cessacioun replied with some depression.

"Sylner is the daughter of his master. They grew up together." Han Jin smiled. "As for what relationship they have now, I think you know and don't need me to explain that."

"Yes. I know Sylner likes him very much. But Moxinke... Does he like her too?"

"Of course he does." Han Jin lowered his voice, "After all, they have had a good relationship for over ten years, but Moxinke can't withstand her temper. He feels very distressed. He even talked to me about that."

"This guy..." Cessacioun said angrily. "He asked me to leave him alone, but turned to you for help! How dare he to look down on me like that!"

"He said you were crafty and couldn't be trusted. Telling you would only give you more material to mock him with." Han Jin smiled.

"Me..." Cessacioun was unwilling to submit. But when he saw the handsome face of Han Jin, on which was a warm and kind smile, he had to admit that he was really not as easy-going as Han Jin. He sat closer to him and forced a fawning smile. "Tell me. What else has he told you?"

"I don't think it's appropriate of me to tell his secrets," Han Jin hesitated.

"Ah, come on! It's all right! I won't tell him!" Cessacioun seemed impatient.

"As a matter of fact, his troubles are simple. Have you imagined what your future wife will be like, Cessacioun?"

"Yes..." Cessacioun rolled his eyes at Han Jin. Why would the topic switch to himself since he was the one who wanted to find out the secrets of Moxinke.

"She must be a perfect woman in your imagination: gentle and generous, clever and sensible, and most importantly, beautiful. Anyway, she is a woman integrated with all kinds of virtues. As for the shortcomings... she will have none."

Cessacioun was confused. "Who would wish for shortcomings?"

"That is the contradiction between imagination and reality," Han Jin said in a soft tone. "The same goes for Moxinke. He wishes his wife to be a perfect woman, so he doesn't think Sylner is qualified. However, he does like her."

"Then how did you persuade him?"

"I told him that everyone had shortcomings, including himself." Han Jin paused. "Do you know what his most annoying shortcoming is?"

"His lack of hygiene!" Cessacioun gnashed his teeth. He had suffered through a lot of pain because of it. "Each time he finishes practicing his sword, he stinks of sweat. On top of that, he likes to run around without taking a shower first. If I remind him of this, he will say it is the smell of a man. My ass!!"

"That is the same as what I have told him. I asked him whether Sylner disliked him due to this." Han Jin continued, "His answer was negative. In fact, if you like a person, you will accept not only their merits, but also their shortcomings. Sylner is a good woman, but she is naive. She has had affections for Moxinke since he was still a boy, and has kept this feeling till now. No matter if Moxinke is successful or not in the future, she will stay with him. Such kind of affection is rare and must be cherished."

"You are right." Cessacioun nodded.

"Of course, Sylner's shortcomings are as many as her virtues. She is too naive... even childish, and doesn't know the cruelness of a human heart, nor does she know the difficulties of surviving in this world. She always brings trouble to herself and others."

"You said she is not cynical due to her naivete, but now you also say she is childish due to naivete." Cessacioun forced a smile. "I am totally confused. Is naivete good or not?"

"Have you seen Moxinke's sword?"

"Yes!" Cessacioun was even more confused. "So what?"

"Many things are like a double-edged sword. If you use it well, it will help you. Otherwise, it will hurt you."

"You..." Cessacioun paused. "I wonder, did Moxinke get his questions answered, or was he even more confused than before?"