Sundering Nature-Volume 8 Chapter 25

Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don't read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.

TL: Zhao

Editing: Krisaia

Eyeglasses' showing up at Li Yiming's tea shop was not unexpected for Ying Mei. As for Chen Jiawang, she was also aware of his newly-awakened guardian status, which was not a cause for concern other than the fact that Li Yiming took him in rather abruptly. Even seeing Qian Mian, whom she did not recognize, was only a minor surprise compared to Wu Yun himself.

'So it seems like the people behind him are finally moving… Yun Yiyuan is right. If we get into a head-to-head fight, we might end up the same way Bing Shuai did… How many more cards does he have up his sleeve?' Ying Mei clenched her fists in anger, despite knowing the dangers of letting her emotions slip in front of someone as powerful as Wu Yun.

Wu Yun, however, completely disregarded Ying Mei's intense glare and instead turned his attention toward a black car that just parked right outside.

The others in the shop also looked at the car after noticing it. As the car doors opened, Li Yiming and Lin Lu walked out.

"You're finally back, boss!" Chen Jiawang was beyond relieved as seeing Li Yiming — he had been under immense pressure the past couple of days from dealing with all the strange guests.

As for Eyeglasses, he kept his attention on his computer while his surveillance drones covered every possible angle in the shop.

"Is today the day?" Li Yiming addressed Wu Yun first and foremost.

"Of course not. I've followed that drunkard all the way to your shop. I'm just here for the tea," Wu Yun said as he sipped his tea.

"Are you done with it?" Li Yiming said provokingly. Li Yiming had felt Wu Yun's presence before he even entered the shop, and he was especially interested in what Wu Yun knew about Liu Meng.

"Not yet. I'm only halfway through." Wu Yun said as he raised his cup.

"What are you here for exactly?" Li Yiming said with a burning desire for combat.

"Oh, just small talk." Wu Yun put his cup down and turned toward Qian Mian.

"Tell her that I don't want to see her anymore." Wu Yun's words froze Qian Mian in place. After a brief moment of silence, he put down a few bills under his cup of tea and hurried out of the shop.

"And tell him that I'll be paying him a visit soon," Wu Yun said as he turned toward Ying Mei.

"Very well, I'll let him know." After confirming Wu Yun's stance, she left the shop.

"Eyeglasses, could you take Chen Jiawang and Lin Lu to the other side of the street to get them some food?" Li Yiming asked.

"Sure." Eyeglasses complied and brought Lin Lu and Chen Jiawang out of the shop, despite their confusion.

"You seem to be even more eager than I am," Wu Yun remarked.

"You have the information I need,"

"You're lying."

"Oh?"

"Don't lie to me. I can feel your thirst for combat. I'm been walking down the same road for my entire life," Wu Yun said as he picked up his tea cup.

Li Yiming had no reason to doubt Wu Yun — he had an unnatural eagerness for combat against strong opponents such as Wu Yun, and it showed through despite his apparent lack of emotions.

"But…"

"But what?"

"You're still too weak."

"How do you know if you haven't even tried?"

"Oh, but you did try. Remember that glove I gave you?" Wu Yun smiled and took out another glove.

Li Yiming frowned as he remembered the suffocating might of the giant blade that came down on him from the sky.

"Heaven's Blade contains six moves. I only know three. How many do you think you can handle?"

Li Yiming sank into a long silence as he pondered over the question.

"I think it's best to hold off the fight until you've learned all of the nine sword moves from Aunt Wu. Times have changed, where else am I going to find such an intriguing opponent?"

"Aunt Wu didn't teach me any of those moves."

"If she took you in as a pupil, then she must have taught you everything she knows." Wu Yun chuckled. "Enough about this. How about we talk about something else?"

"What do you want to talk about?" Li Yiming asked, knowing that it was useless to dwell further on the subject. Even if he did not understand everything Aunt Wu taught him, he was confident that with a little more studying of the techniques in his arsenal, he would be able to at least fend off the three strikes of Wu Yun.

"It seems like it hasn't been very long since you've become a guardian," Wu Yun remarked.

"Yes. For a little more than a year, actually."

"What?" Even having expected a somewhat extraordinary answer, Wu Yun was shocked. In fact, if one took into account the fact that Li Yiming had been dormant for about a year, it would mean that he became a sage almost overnight. Wu Yun himself knew just how much of a feat that was, given that he spent four arduous decades to get to the same level.

Wu Yun's face of disbelief gave Li Yiming a tinge of satisfaction — even a small win was enough to give him a sense of gratification after succumbing to Wu Yun's blade.

"So you're telling me that you defeated Bing Shuai only a few weeks after you've become a guardian?" Wu Yun asked in an incredulous tone.

"What do you think?" Li Yiming smiled arrogantly. Li Yiming surprised himself halfway through the smile, as it was very unfitting of his usual character.

"I'm looking forward to our duel even more now." Wu Yun's fingers clasped his cup as he emitted some of his aura.

"I feel the same way." Li Yiming leaned forward and glared at Wu Yun.

"If only I had met you earlier…" Wu Yun sighed and suddenly retracted his aura.

"So you really did come here for tea." Li Yiming recovered his composure and took on an air of detachment.

"How much do you know about him?" Wu Yun changed the topic of the conversation, trying to suppress his urge to fight.

"Nothing at all."

"Oh? That's unlike you."

"What about you?" Li Yiming asked out of curiosity. Up until now, every single person, even Bai Ze, was unusually wary when they broached the subject, only Wu Yun did not seem intimidated at all.

"One's a real evil, the other a hypocrite." Wu Yun said scornfully.

'Two of them? So is that why Heaven's Laws have changed?' Li Yiming remained impassive, but Wu Yun's answer had produced a storm of emotions.

"Well, none of it matters. I actually like the current one better. At least he doesn't think of us as livestock." Wu Yun was unwilling to believe Li Yiming's ignorance — gguardians who had attained the level of a sage were able to feel such changes.

"Livestock?"

"Isn't the purpose of our existence to serve Heaven's Laws unquestionably, regardless of what sacrifices we are being asked to make? Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent one thousand years scheming to change the rules…" Wu Yun said with a glacial tone. It was as if meeting with someone he considered to be a respected adversary finally allowed him to speak his mind freely.

"You must be able to feel it too. The birth of wills is a natural occurrence in our world. Heaven's Laws will guide you? What a joke, it's simply fearing being topped over…"

Li Yiming looked out of the window as he tried his best to absorb Wu Yun's words. 'One thousand year… One is a hypocrite… Two people… Mr. Kong!'

He suddenly remembered the lean silhouette of the man which introduced to the extraordinary yet chaotic world of guardians.