TRWSB – Chapter 218 Red Bomb

Qishao Rong and Zhuang Hao had been roaming the magic towers for half a month, while the City Lord’s mansion was busily preparing the expedition to explore the Flame Demon King’s tomb.

Zhuang Hao was in the Water Magic Tower when suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder.
Turning around, surprised, he said, “Hai Ling, what are you doing here?”

“Liu Yun wanted to visit Dilan City, so I came with him,” Hai Ling replied.

“I see,” Zhuang Hao nodded.

“By the way, I have something for you,” Hai Ling said.

Zhuang Hao crossed his arms, looking at Hai Ling. “Oh? A gift for me?”

“Sort of,” Hai Ling said as he pulled out two red invitations and handed them to Zhuang Hao.

Seeing the two red envelopes, Zhuang Hao’s heart felt a bit uneasy.

Hai Ling smiled. “These are wedding invitations. One is from me and Liu Yun, the other from Zuo Yunfei, who asked me to deliver it. Our wedding is in four months; Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng’s is planned for five months from now. You and Qishao Rong will probably be busy running back and forth to attend.”

Zhuang Hao forced a dry smile. “So that’s your ‘gift’?”

Seeing Zhuang Hao’s expression, Hai Ling said helplessly, “Don’t look so grim. You don’t know how many in the Sea Tribe wish they had these invitations. These are the highest honors.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng are getting married too?” Zhuang Hao muttered.

Hai Ling nodded. “Yeah. I heard some in the Zuo family opposed the match, but those who objected got beaten up by Zuo Yunfei. Seems that young master really lives up to his bad reputation.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Hai Ling crossed his arms. “Hope you and Qishao Rong wait to get married, so you won’t be wed right between me and Zuo Yunfei.”

“Well…”

Hai Ling smiled. “I guess you two aren’t rushing it anyway.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Hai Ling patted Zhuang Hao’s shoulder. “Make sure you come to my wedding!”

Zhuang Hao glanced at Hai Ling. “I’ll be there.”

“By the way, Zuo Yunfei told me to say, if you can’t make it to his wedding with Qi Heng, it’s okay not to come—but don’t forget to send a grand gift.”

Zhuang Hao was surprised. “He actually said that?”

Hai Ling nodded. “Yep.”

Zhuang Hao paused. “How did I never realize Zuo Yunfei was such a scoundrel?”

Hai Ling laughed. “He’s always been one. If you didn’t see it, your judgment’s just off.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

“By the way, I heard the City Lord invited you to join the Flame Demon King tomb expedition?” Hai Ling asked.

“How did you know?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“It’s all over the place. You’re quite popular wherever you go!” Hai Ling said.

Zhuang Hao smiled. “Naturally.”

Inside the restaurant, Qishao Rong toyed with the invitation in his hand and thought: so this is the so-called “red bomb”—two at once! Suddenly, the idea of maybe getting married himself popped into his mind.

“You and Qi Heng’s weddings are close together,” Biliu Yun noted.

“Yes,” she nodded. “If the young master wants, he can try to get in between. The young master and Zhuang Hao have been engaged for some time; they could just get married.”

Qishao Rong smiled. “No rush. I’m not old enough to worry about late marriage, and that guy Zhuang Hao is still young.”

Biliu Yun smiled. “You’re not in a hurry, but Zhuang Hao might be.”

Qishao Rong shrugged. “Let him worry.”

Biliu Yun: “…”

“It should be about time. Zhuang Hao should be here soon,” Qishao Rong said.

Biliu Yun nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you interested in the City Lord’s invitation?” Biliu Yun asked.

Qi Shaorong sighed and said, “I’m interested, but all those tomb guardians—that’s a problem.”

“That’s not really a problem,” Bi Liuyun replied. “The City Lord’s Mansion has issued a bounty. There’s a reward for each tomb guardian taken down. Many mercenary teams are already out dealing with them. They’re hard to handle in large numbers, but individually they’re not difficult. Tomb guardians lack intelligence—they just instinctively attack intruders. They have weaknesses.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I see. So how long would it take to clear out all 300,000 of them?”

“About a month,” Bi Liuyun said.

“Perfect,” Qi Shaorong nodded. “That gives me just enough time to fully integrate what I’ve learned in the magic tower.”

At that moment, Zhuang Hao and Hailing walked in. Bi Liuyun looked surprised. “You two came together?”

“I ran into Zhuang Hao at the Water Magic Tower, so we came together,” Hailing said.

…

After spending more than a month in the magic tower, Qi Shaorong gained a deeper understanding of light and dark magic.

While walking through the Light Magic Tower, Qi Shaorong accidentally kicked someone.

He frowned at the old man he had stumbled over.

The elder abruptly opened his eyes and glared at Qi Shaorong with a chilling gaze. Qi felt as if he had been plunged into a frozen wasteland.

“Qi Shao, you’d better leave,” a nearby mage said quickly.

Qi Shaorong took a few steps back. “Who is that guy?”

“No one knows. But he’s been in this tower for hundreds of years,” said a nearby light magic practitioner.

Qi Shaorong widened his eyes. “Hundreds of years? That must’ve cost a fortune!” Staying in the tower for even a month costs tens of millions—hundreds of years would cost tens of billions.

“Not necessarily,” another mage in a green robe explained. “He never leaves. People have tried to drag him out, but he beat them all back.”

Qi Shaorong blinked. So he’s basically a squatter from another world. “So… he’s strong?”

“Not just strong—he’s insanely powerful,” the mage said. “But he’s also really strange.”

“What’s so strange about him?”

“He’s a dark magic user, but he stays in the Light Magic Tower.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes widened. “Yeah, that’s seriously weird.”

He studied the old man. Could he also be a dual light-and-dark magic user like me? Doesn’t seem like it.

Suddenly, the old man grabbed him.

“Light and dark magic forming a cycle inside the body… So that’s how it works,” the elder muttered.

Qi Shaorong was startled and uneasy from being yanked so suddenly.

Looking into the old man’s eyes, he saw snake-like vertical pupils—though more imposing than any serpent’s gaze he’d ever seen.

Qi Shaorong’s heart raced. The old man let go and started mumbling to himself, completely ignoring Qi’s presence.

Qi took the chance and quickly slipped away.

…

At the restaurant.

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong with concern. “Shaorong, what’s wrong? No appetite?”

Qi Shaorong gave a sheepish smile. “Not really.”

“What happened?” Zhuang Hao asked.

“I ran into a freak at the Light Magic Tower. It shook me up a bit.”

“What kind of person?”

“Someone strange. He’s dark-attributed but stays in the Light Magic Tower. Apparently, he’s been there for hundreds of years. Doesn’t pay a cent, but no one dares provoke him. I’m not sure if he’s mentally all there.”

Hailing looked up. “Did you go to the highest level of the Light Magic Tower?”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Yeah. Why?”

“You might’ve run into a dark-attribute Nether Dragon,” Hailing said. “Legend has it the Nether Dragon and the Light Magic Dragon are sworn enemies. A thousand years ago, their kings fought a devastating battle. Both disappeared afterward—rumored to have perished together.”

“But many believe they didn’t die. They probably went into hiding to recover.”

Qi Shaorong’s eyes lit up. “So you’re saying… that guy could be the Nether Dragon?”

Hailing nodded. “It’s very possible.”

“What would a Nether Dragon be doing in a Light Magic Tower? Don’t tell me he got hit in the head by the Light Dragon and lost his mind,” Bi Liuyun muttered.

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Could be. But more likely, he’s studying the enemy’s magic to gain an edge. Know your enemy and you’ll win every battle.”

Bi Liuyun stroked his chin. “That makes sense, but spending hundreds of years? That takes some patience. Isn’t he bored?”

“That’s a Nether Dragon. Said to have lived over ten thousand years. A few centuries to him is nothing,” Hailing said.

Qi Shaorong tilted his head. “Come to think of it, I did sense some light magic from him.”

“Maybe after that epic battle, the Light Dragon’s magic got infused into his body,” Hailing said.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Taking a deep breath, Qi Shaorong changed the topic. “Enough about that. How’s the Fire Demon King’s tomb coming along?”

“The tomb guardians are mostly cleared. The City Lord has invited us to the mansion to discuss next steps,” Zhuang Hao said.

Qi Shaorong crossed his arms. “Then let’s go hear what he has to say.”

As they ate, Hailing hesitated, then asked, “Young Master Zhuang, I heard you tamed a saint-rank Earth Bear. Is that true?”

Zhuang Hao nodded. “It happened. Shaorong got him drunk, and while he was passed out, I made the contract.”

Hailing blinked. “Even so, that’s pretty impressive.” He turned to Qi Shaorong. “Qi Shao, Zhuang Shao’s strong, but you’re even stronger.”

Qi Shaorong gave a modest smile. “Naturally.”