Yama Reborn

Chapter Eighty-nine: One and a Half Years

Old Jiang was just about to say something—!!!

BOOM!

Old Jiang felt himself sent flying. In midair, his body went numb, as if he'd been hit head-on by a speeding car—no, a speeding train—and flung away!

Although, at the last moment, instincts honed from half a lifetime of martial arts kicked in. He forcibly gathered a breath from his dantian and crossed his arms in a defensive stance...

But Old Jiang was still sent flying.

Only one thought echoed in his mind as he flew: Arsonist of Passion? What on earth is she talking about?!

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When he landed, Old Jiang circulated his Inner Breath, instantly executing a 'dissipation' technique.

But as his body slammed into the ground, he trembled violently!

Old Jiang spat out a mouthful of blood, and his duckbill cap flew off.

The woman, however, was already standing beside him... Old Jiang hadn't even seen her approach!

She lifted her high-heeled shoe and stomped towards Old Jiang's face!

In that instant, Old Jiang felt as if it wasn't a delicate high heel descending, but an elephant's leg!!

He violently rolled to the side.

CRACK!

The high heel stomped on the concrete slab, and instantly, an 80x80 slab cracked into over a dozen pieces!

The residual force even shattered several nearby concrete slabs! Old Jiang felt intense pain in his arm and a burning sensation in his chest; his Inner Breath was in disarray. Forcibly drawing a breath, he leaped up, staggered back a few steps, and gasped, glaring at the woman through gritted teeth.

"

"I originally had more important things to do today, but when I saw you were also here, I threw all that aside! It was to find you! Today, you're dead for sure! Arsonist of Passion!" she exclaimed.

As she spoke the last word, the Empress moved again!

Old Jiang's eyes couldn't follow the woman's movements at all. He could only rely on years of martial arts instinct, barely sensing the disturbances in the air she created as he desperately defended himself!

Arsonist of Passion. For those words, the Empress struck five times in an instant!

Fang!

The Empress's fingers curved like hooks, grabbing Old Jiang's shoulder.

Old Jiang dropped his shoulder to disperse the force, shaking off her hand, but the shoulder of his garment was already torn.

Xin!

The Empress had already circled behind Old Jiang, moving like a ghost! She clawed at his back!

Old Jiang expelled the Inner Strength from his entire body. The Empress's hand slipped slightly, but she effortlessly shifted from claw to palm, slapping directly onto Old Jiang's scapulae.

Zong!

Old Jiang stumbled forward from the impact, but the Empress seized his arm, yanking him back!

Huo!

Old Jiang twisted, forcibly wrenching half his body around—otherwise, his arm might have been snapped! His other hand formed a 'hammer fist' and shot towards her face!

Fan!

The Empress sneered, lifting a dainty hand to meet Old Jiang's hammer strike.

BANG!

Old Jiang was sent flying again!

This time, he crashed headfirst into a thicket in the green belt at the edge of the square...

The woman exhaled, then leaped joyfully, laughing heartily. "That felt good! So good! Now I'm truly satisfied!!"

As she spoke, she walked to the edge of the bushes, about to reach in again.

"No, wait a second, explain yourself," Old Jiang managed to say.

Old Jiang lay sprawled out, finally getting a chance to speak, his breath weak. "What the hell 'Arsonist of Passion'...? What are you even saying?!"

"Huh?"

The Empress paused, her expression momentarily blank, then she frowned. "You! You are the Arsonist of Passion!!"

Old Jiang felt like he was about to cough up blood again. Arsonist of Passion... Arson your sister! I, Old Jiang, have always lived an upright life! I only love my wife! When the hell have I ever gone around setting other women's hearts on fire?!!

"I... I've never heard of anything so ridiculous..." Old Jiang was so enraged his vision blurred. His head slumped to the side, and he passed out.

Star Sky Empress: (+_+)

Huh? Did I... get the wrong person?

Just then...

WHOOSH!

A sharp sound sliced through the air!

The Empress's gaze turned icy. She spun around and grabbed!

Huh? It feels greasy... and hard?

She looked closer. A bright red, unblinking... crawfish?!

WHOOSH!

Another sound sliced through the air!

A beer bottle flew towards her!

Again?!

The Empress sneered, reaching out and effortlessly grabbing the flying beer bottle.

"An accomplice, huh? Hmph, mere insignif—OUCH!!"

BANG! The beer bottle exploded on its own!

Beer and shattered glass flew everywhere!

The Empress instantly dashed back several meters. Just as she steadied herself, she suddenly felt a chilling premonition. The fragments from the exploded beer bottle on the ground suddenly surged towards her!

Psychokinesis? The thought flashed through the Empress's mind. With a sneer, she raised a palm to shield herself.

SWISH, SWISH, SWISH, SWISH! The shards flew at the Empress but were blocked by an invisible force before her, clattering harmlessly to the ground.

But just then, the Empress suddenly sensed a powerful telekinetic force slamming towards her from behind...

BOOM!!

The Empress simply brought one hand behind her, deflecting the sneak attack.

THUD, THUD, THUD, THUD! The Star Sky Empress quickly shuffled forward a few steps. After steadying herself, she took a deep breath and looked back, but there was no one in sight.

She turned her head again; the middle-aged man who had been lying in the bushes was also gone. Looking further, Jiang Yingzi had disappeared too. A car by the roadside sped away...

"..."

The Star Sky Empress clenched her teeth. This is infuriating! Absolutely infuriating! The Arsonist of Passion got away! And the target of the other mission escaped too! I'm so annoyed!

So, what should I do next? Should I go kill that Jiang Yingzi first? Or should I go after that Arsonist of Passion? Ugh, honestly... this is such a hassle. I hate thinking about these things the most!

Just at that moment, the woman's phone in her pocket rang.

Taking it out, the Star Sky Empress's face immediately broke into a smile. She answered the call.

"Ah~~ My dear disciple, you've finally decided to talk to me again~"

"LU! XI! XI!!!"

The nine-year-old loli on the other end of the line was roaring like a little dragon.

"What on earth are you up to!!

"Weren't you supposed to be in Jinling to handle that big job I got for you!!

"Why did I just log in with a secondary account and find that you accepted a small mission without my permission!!!

"Have you lost your mind!!!"

The Star Sky Empress swallowed, squatted down, and subconsciously picked up a twig to draw circles on the ground while she spoke in a timid voice, "That... dear disciple, don't be angry, please..."

"How can I not be angry!!

"Do you have any idea how much effort I've poured into building your Star Sky Empress brand?! How could you just randomly accept missions? And for a measly two or three million at that!

"How will I be able to get you those important commissions in the future?! How am I supposed to negotiate prices?!

"Do you have any idea how much I worked to get that price for the mission you're on in Huaxia?! And now you went behind my back and took a job worth only two or three million?!

"If my clients find out that the grand Star Sky Empress can be hired for just two or three million, would they still be willing to pay a higher price?!"

The Star Sky Empress pursed her lips and replied in a wronged tone, "But, but..."

"But what!! Speak up!! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!!!" The nine-year-old loli continued to roar.

Lu Xixi said softly, "But... we argued yesterday, dear disciple. I thought, like before, that I'd made you angry and you wouldn't talk to me for days... I'm all alone here in Jinling City, Huaxia, and I've nearly spent all my money.

"Um, my money... you usually manage it for me. When you're mad and not talking to me, I feel awkward asking you for money. So... I just took a job myself to earn a bit of pocket money..."

Lu Xixi's voice trailed off, her lips turning down. She said timidly, "Dear disciple, Master knows she was wrong. Please stop scolding me... I... I definitely won't dare do it again..."

"Hmph! You are not allowed to do this task! I've already used the secondary account to cancel it directly! It took me such great effort to raise your rate to the market's peak! Don't mess up my plan!"

"Uh... but," Lu Xixi said, "I wanted to use this mission to upgrade these five secondary accounts to Silver. And also, if I suddenly cancel the mission, won't the client be upset..."

"Silver, my foot!" the loli retorted. "A Silver account costs two hundred thousand US dollars! How many do you want? I'll buy them for you!

"And the client... would the client dare to be upset? I told them directly it was the Star Sky Empress's secondary account that her little disciple was playing with! Those nobodies, would they dare say no?!

"Alright, enough nonsense! Finish your actual assignment quickly and come home!

"You're a grown woman! Stop gallivanting around outside for no reason!"

"AWOO..." she whimpered, her voice full of grievance.

CLACK. The phone was hung up.

Uh... oh dear, I forgot to tell Little Candy I found that Arsonist of Passion. But... but... my dear disciple forbade me from messing around and told me to finish the proper job and hurry home. That Arsonist of Passion... Oh well, never mind. My dear disciple being angry is more important right now. She's already quite dissatisfied with me lately; I can't afford to make her mad again. Sigh... it's so hard having such a clever disciple...

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「Inside the castle room.」

The nine-year-old, white-haired Yu Naitang sat in a chair with a stern expression, holding a cup of hot chocolate.

"Such a grown-up, so irresponsible!" she said, sounding like a world-weary adult.

Nine-year-old Yu Naitang, cup of hot chocolate in one hand, coughed lightly into her fist with the other.

She spoke with an air of aged wisdom.

Suddenly, she slapped her forehead.

Oh dear, I forgot to feed my senior brothers and sisters.

The tiny body hopped down from the chair and scampered off in a rush.

She arrived in a brightly lit room.

She fed the long-eared rabbit in the corner cage a carrot.

She fed the little turtle in the glass tank a few pieces of shrimp jerky.

She gave the goldfish in the fish tank some fish food.

She poured some dog food into the bowl for the husky on the floor.

And...

Huh? Where's the cat?? Well, the cat seemed to have caught a mouse today, so it probably ate its fill already.

Having done all this, the nine-year-old sighed.

Being this woman's apprentice is so hard...

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「One and a half years ago.」

When Yu Naitang was seven and a half, she was brought into this castle for the first time and taken in as an apprentice by a woman whose real name was Lu Xixi but was famously known in the Underground World as the Star Sky Empress.

Back then, seven-and-a-half-year-old Yu Naitang experienced something that shattered and then completely reshaped her worldview.

The woman took the seven-and-a-half-year-old Yu Naitang by the hand and very seriously introduced her to... her senior martial brothers and sisters!

Uh...

"This is your Rabbit Senior Sister! Ah, this one is your Turtle Senior Brother! Ah, and this is your Fish Senior Brother! Your Dog Senior Sister!! Ah, and this is your Cat Senior Brother!"

The seven-and-a-half-year-old Yu Naitang's eyes widened as she looked at her "Teacher": "......."

Are you kidding me?

She hesitated for a moment.

"Teacher, are these... really all your disciples?"

"Yes! They're all very cute!"

".....So what have you taught them?"

At that time, the woman, with a carefree smile, took the little loli around the room.

"I've taught them a lot! I taught your Rabbit Senior Sister how to eat carrots!"

"...And what about Dog Senior Sister?"

"I taught her how to speak! Now she can bark 'woof woof'!"

"...Let me guess, Teacher. The skill you taught Fish Senior Brother must be swimming, right?"

"That's right! Not only can he swim now, but he can also blow bubbles! Wow, you guessed it! You must be the smartest disciple I've ever had!"

At that moment, the seven-and-a-half-year-old Yu Naitang thought: ...Someone, please! Can anyone rescue me from this lunatic?!!!

·

But that night...

The woman, wearing a nightgown, barefoot, holding a candlestick, walked into the seven-and-a-half-year-old loli's room.

"My dear disciple, today is your first day at my home after leaving the orphanage. You must be scared and unable to sleep at night, right? Come, come, I'll hold you tonight~~"

With that said, she set down the candlestick, climbed onto the bed, and hugged the seven-and-a-half-year-old loli.

Hmm...

Yu Naitang thought: This woman may be a bit crazy and silly, but... she smells nice and is so soft... it's comfortable to be hugged by her... and... Zzzzzzz...

Alright, the escape plan I spent all night concocting... I'll put it on hold for now... I'll... I'll stay for three days first... Just three days, okay!

...

And so, a year and a half passed.

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[I need monthly tickets! If you don't have monthly tickets, please throw some recommendation tickets my way~]

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