Dual Cultivation God Returns

Chapter 421 The names of past

"Hahaha, if you are going to sit in such a proper pose with such a stiffened face I am going to regret telling you the truth you know? Besides, Palace Master would be greatly disappointed, perhaps even refuse to call you her Teacher"

Wu Long chuckled, after a while as he turned and saw that Madam Liang\'s pose became more modest and she was trying to adjust her behavior. Her eyes widened at his last words.

"How did..."

"Well, it is quite obvious if you think about it, the title of the Great Seductress once belong to you, that is something one can find out if they know where to look. And the one who originally traveled the continents in search of remarkable talents was you as well.

The way she behaves in a way resembles your mannerisms, though over the years she of course made her own style and changed a lot. Still, the foundation you taught her is still there.

But she does not practice your Illusion Arts, so you cannot be her Master, as your disciples take up the same cultivation as you. So, Teacher and Student it is"

Wu Long spoke with a light smile as he could tell from the first time he saw Lian Zhiqiu in person, after returning from the Wood Spirit Continent.

"I suppose, that was an unnecessary question"

She revealed a light wry smile as thinking she could hide anything from him now that she knew who he was, became foolish in her eyes.

"Did you teach her how to seduce a man?"

"Hah, you should have seen her when she found me and asked to be taught. I couldn\'t get rid of that girl for a month as she followed me anywhere I went.

And now that she got what she wanted from me, when I taught her everything you need to know, about the way to look, to act and to present yourself, I don\'t see her for years at a time, sometimes decades"

Liang Yuhan lightly scoffed as her frustration with her student beat out the meekness that shackled her earlier.

"Heh, from my point of view the funnier fact is that two maidens are the past and present holders of the title \'The Great Seductress\', Madam Liang"

Wu Long chuckled instantly causing the beauty to blush.

"I- um... I was..."

"Haha, I find it cute, really. And a little amusing"

Wu Long chuckled as he looked at the embarrassed former Great Seductress.

"Well, I used it mainly for my business, you see. A woman has her strengths as much as a man has, and not using those strengths seemed wasteful..."

She spoke with a light blush still on her cheeks as her green eyes looked at the pond, but her voice became a little steadier.

"Mm, sound judgement and good call. Seduction does not necessarily lead to the act of Carnal Pleasure, and could be a very powerful tool in the right hands, but requires a good head on the shoulders for that tool to not become a double-edged sword"

Wu Long nodded, agreeing that with her occupation as an information dealer, a right use of her charm was indeed a wise choice. He rather commended her on the way she managed to navigate that fine line of enticement without it ever becoming something that trapped her.

"Well, I did fail once. And if it was not for Senior Zhao, who was a Governor then, I would have become Gu Zhen\'s prey long ago"

"And you don\'t think that it was that what made him poison the old man and not the report about price speculation of Pills?"

Wu Long raised his eyebrows. He did see there was something in between the two, but he did not suspect it started before this world became a prison trapping them all here.

"It happened not long after he was already poisoned, since Senior Zhao also shielded me at least in part to spite the man, since he could not touch him otherwise because of Gu Zhen\'s position and affiliation. And I ran for help to him because I knew of their feud in the first place. Though I am grateful to him either way"

She sighed, shaking her head. As she then turned to him, her eyes slightly shook as she realized that he managed to make her relaxed again, somehow making her forget her nervousness.

"Oh, and Zhiqiu~..."

"Ah, you don\'t need to tell me her reasons. I don\'t like to pry into a maiden\'s secrets behind her back"

"Haha, a true gentlemen"

"Only being decent"

Wu Long chuckled as he sipped wine again, and the beauty accompanying him took a sip as well.

"Decent... not something I thought when I first learned about you"

Madam Liang softly and carefully spoke, her eyes glued to his face, gauging if she was allowed to tread into that territory.

"Really? Did you expect a maniac who slaughters everyone on sight?"

"Well, the information about you going around was never consistent and rather contradictory, but it was said that you have given out enough green hats to fill a minor world to the brim with just the hats"

"Hahaha, an exaggeration, besides I never disturbed a couple in love, or approached a decent man\'s significant other"

"And that you have made women out of so many noble maidens that they could populate another thirty minor worlds"

"..."

"There are tales about how gallant and courteous you are, and how knowledgeable. The tales speak of how your intellect is held in high esteem even among the Dao Gods"

As she mentioned the Dao Gods a light smile touched his lips, which seemed from her point of view to be self-mocking.

Dao Gods were Dao Cultivators in the Tree Divine Realms, the final Great Realm before the unknown and unattainable True God Realm. It was also the Great Realm he approached in his past life but could not breach before falling to this small world.

For him it happened only a year and a half ago, a mere smallest drop in the vast and boundless ocean called \'a second\' in the eyes of an Immortal.

He could still feel that frustration, of being one step too short to reaching the very top of the Seven Boundless Worlds even if he was grateful that did not happen as what he gained in return was far more precious.

There was also another thought in his mind, which made him excited, as he now knew with certainty that it was not the true top.

"But at other times, there are tales of the God of Slaughter..."

Liang Yuhan\'s voice rang out, bringing him out of his thoughts, and he made a light laugh.

"Hahaha, it seems almost everything gets amplified and exaggerated in the rumors the further away it goes. Besides the God of Slaughter is a rather old title"

"I am not sure... the \'Wandering Calamity\', \'Harbinger of Doom\', \'Dark Star of Destruction\', \'The Divine Fury\', \'The Falling Disaster\' and even \'The Butcher of Gods\'..."

As Madam Liang listed out titles and aliases, memories floated in Wu Long\'s eyes as he closed them to not show that look.

"... all of these and many more names, coming from different worlds and different eras belong to the one eventually called the God of Slaughter... it is a little hard to believe it is that exaggerated"

She finished, looking at his profile, as his peaceful face with closed eyes was lit with the moonlight.

"Haa~... you have quite a good information network, Madam Liang. I haven\'t heard many of those for a while"

He sighed and then opened his eyes again with a carefree smile as she gulped, wondering if she stepped on a sore spot.

\'Haha, don\'t worry. I will not insist if you do not want to tell me which organization you worked for. And I am not displeased in any way, just a little surprised"

"... The Palace of Secrets. I was not directly affiliated but my small Information Bureau often was a proxy for them so I was allowed to peruse the first three lower levels of their information once a month as a special privilege"

"Oh? In that case it makes sense, as one of the Three Divine Palaces, Four Pavilions and Seven Families of the Underworld it is a respectable and powerful organization in the shadows of the Seven Boundless Worlds"

Wu Long nodded with understanding.

"But all of the names you have listed have waned into the sands of time, with only echoes ringing in the hollow halls of those whose lives were sacrificed to create them, if even those did not return to dust.

Besides most of the times I had a reason to swing the weapon in my hand, and however selfish those reasons may sometimes be, they were at least in my mind justified.

If I really was that bloodthirsty to slaughter with no cause, would I go through the trouble of bringing as much of the Six Kingdoms to our side or at least making them neutral in the upcoming conflict?"

"You mean...?!"

Madam Liang gasped as she covered her mouth with her elegant small hand, her wide open eyes looking at Wu Long in disbelief at her own guess.

"Haha, I am reducing the number of people I have to kill"

He chuckled, nodding and confirming her guess.