NOVPUBFallen Martial Hero. The moment Lin Mo read that, a certain foreboding feeling hit him. He couldn't quite put it together what exactly it was, so he waited for the wall to open up and the Floor Guardian to step out.
Right as its foot emerged from the fissure, Lin Mo's chest tightened.
[Fallen Martial Hero - Ye Zhong]
A Floor Guardian with a given name?! That was unprecedented. Furthermore, compared to the masked Fallen Martial Artist, this guardian stepped out of the wall looking like any other cultivator. He had the air of an expert, even his steps seemed to be demonstrating a martial technique.
And his eyes... It didn't feel dead at all. It had a wisp of intelligence, perhaps memory. The only thing that made Lin Mo convinced that he was generated by the tower was his pale skin and blue lips like those of a dead person.
"You... are...?" Upon capturing Lin Mo in his eyes, the Fallen Martial Hero stopped in his tracks and opened his mouth. His voice was guttural, as if his throat was as dry as a desert but he managed to convey his words across.
Guarded, Lin Mo's eyebrows raised as he observed 'him'.
The [Everflowing Serenity Sutra] steadied his racing heart, but the sage's lingering wisdom somehow intensified that foreboding feeling. The intelligence in Ye Zhong's eyes, the way he paused as if recognizing something, set Lin Mo's instincts on edge.
Is he someone who retains his memories? Is the soul of a real person inside that body? Or is that actually his body?
Those questions littered his head but he knew asking about it would not yield any result.
"Who… am I?" Lin Mo echoed. He shifted his stance, the new spear held low, ready to strike or defend. "I'm just a shopkeeper passing through, testing some wares inside this tower. And you, what's a martial hero doing in a place like this?"
Ye Zhong's head tilted slightly, his pale face unreadable but his eyes narrowing as if sifting through fragmented memories.
"Shop… keeper…" He repeated in difficulty, his voice like stones grinding together. "This… tower… my… prison. You… challenge… my… rest."
The words sent a chill down Lin Mo's spine. A prison? Was Ye Zhong truly not just a construct of the Tower but something or someone bound to it?
"Your rest, huh?" Lin Mo said, circling slowly to keep distance, his [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps] ready to carry him out of reach. "Sounds like you've got a story. Care to share before we get to the part where we try to kill each other? Are you from the Realm of Nine Heavens?"
Ye Zhong's lips twitched, almost forming a grimace or perhaps a smile. "No… Martial World."
His previously still hands moved, adopting a stance Lin Mo recognized from the [Foundational Martial Technique]. A flowing, open-palm form that emphasized redirection and explosive counters. But the foreign energy cloaking Ye Zhong's hands was denser, sharper, forming translucent gauntlets that could possibly blow him away like a kite cut off from its string.
"Martial World. Where is that? The Fractured Plane this Tower is connected to?" Lin Mo added another question. Since he's quite communicative, he thought he might be able to extract some information from this Floor Guardian.
Zhenren Lihua told him that the Towers all originated from the Fractured Planes near their realm. They were destroyed during an ancient war, turning them into lifeless or perhaps bleak planets hovering close. Unlike the Outer Realms, which were mounting an invasion through the Anchor, it was hinted that Conduit Towers were the creation of divine beings as a trial ground for the cultivators of the First Heaven. As for who exactly that was, either the Divine Pantheon didn't know or they're still keeping it a secret.
As he thought of that, Ye Zhong responded with a nod. "My… home. Cycle of… reincarnation… destroyed. My soul… bound to the tower."
"Bound to the tower…" Lin Mo's voice softened, a flicker of sympathy crossing his face despite the tension. Whether it was true or not, he had no idea, but he could feel for him. Imagine getting your soul locked in a tower like this and you're forced to fight challengers even after your death.
If Taihao didn't reassemble his body after dying in a freak accident, he'd probably return to the cycle of reincarnation on Earth.
Anchoring his emotions, he processed Ye Zhong's words. "That's a raw deal, friend. Trapped here, fighting challengers for who knows how long. Any chance you'd rather talk this out? Maybe I can put in a good word with some divine beings I know. Oh. I know. Do you still have your sense of taste? Wanna drink this with me?"
He produced a can of Heavenly Dew Soda in his hand and threw it at the Floor Guardian.
Glancing at the timer at the corner of his eyes, it's still counting down. If he had no choice but to fight this martial hero, he might just be able to hinge his clearance by surviving for thirty minutes.
Ye Zhong's gauntleted hands twitched, the foreign energy pulsing like a heartbeat. However, he caught the can. His eyes, glinting with that eerie intelligence, held Lin Mo's gaze for a moment longer before scanning the
can.
"This… what?" Ye Zhong asked.
Putting on his merchant smile, Lin Mo clasped his hands together and said, "Our store's product, dear customer. Why don't you have a taste? I'll give it to you for free."
Ye Zhong's pale fingers closed around the can of [Heavenly Dew Soda]. Lin Mo couldn't help but wince at the thought of him crushing it with his hand. That would be a waste of a great drink, right?
Luckily, that didn't happen. Ye Zhong's pale face remained unreadable, but the subtle tilt of his head suggested curiosity, or perhaps an echo of a life long lost.
The foreign energy cloaking his hands pulsed, as if testing the can's strange aura, before he brought it closer to his cracked, blue lips.
Somehow, Lin Mo wondered if the Tower's construct could even taste, or if this was just a cruel mimicry of humanity.
"Free…?" Ye Zhong's guttural voice echoed, laced with suspicion. His eyes shifted back to Lin Mo, as if searching for a trap. "Why… offer?"
Lin Mo's merchant smile widened. The [Everflowing Serenity Sutra] kept his mind steady, filtering out the oppressive weight of Ye Zhong's presence. "Call it a gesture of goodwill, dear customer. You're stuck in this Tower, fighting for who knows how long. The least I can do is share a drink. Besides, it's good for the soul. Or whatever's left of it."
A low, rumbling sound escaped Ye Zhong's throat, something between a chuckle and a growl. "Soul… gone. Only… duty."
Yet, despite his words, he popped the can open with a hiss, the sound cutting through the chamber's stillness. The sweet, invigorating scent of the soda wafted out, mingling with the Tower's foreign energy. Ye Zhong hesitated, then tilted the can, letting the liquid touch his lips.
At first, nothing happened. Then, his eyes widened slightly as a flicker of something, perhaps memory, crossed his pale features.
"This… taste…" He paused, as if struggling to grasp a fleeting thought. "Plum… blossoms… spring… Morning dew."
His voice softened, almost wistful, before hardening again, this time filled with accusation, "You… seek to… distract?"
Lin Mo's lips twitched into a wry grin. How is he still so sharp for being a dead person?
"No. Dear customer, I merely want to share with you the blessing our store brings to the realm. I meant what I said. You don't seem like the other constructs here. All of them had no wisp of intelligence, only bloodlust. If you've got a story, I'm all ears. If not, well, we've got…" He glanced at the Tower panel, "... about sixteen minutes before we have to part."
Ye Zhong lowered the can, his gauntleted hand crushing it slightly, though he didn't let it fall. The foreign energy around him surged, but it felt less hostile, more… contemplative.
"No… story. Only… fragments. Fight… protect… fail." His eyes locked onto Lin Mo's, "You… not like… others. Why… climb?"
Lin Mo shrugged, his casual tone softening the tension in his stance. "Testing some wares, like I said. I got a shiny new toy…" he patted the [Starshot Revolver] at his hip, "...and a few others. Our store will be selling this soon. Maybe? Plus, I've got customers who'd love to hear how high the Convenience Saint can go. Can't disappoint them, can I?"
Not that he's not appreciative of the title but it's too cringy for his modern self. Still, it brought him an unexpected boon. The spark of divine within his chest continued to grow further.
"Convenience… Saint?" Ye Zhong's head tilted again, the name seeming to stir something in his fragmented mind. "You… bring… change. Like… him."
His voice grew distant, as if recalling a shadow from another life. "He… brought… light. Then… ruin."
Lin Mo's brows furrowed, his merchant's charm giving way to genuine curiosity. "Him? Who are you talking about? Another challenger? Or someone from your Martial World?"
The mention of 'light' and 'ruin' pricked at his instincts. Was Ye Zhong referring to the divine beings behind the store? Or something else entirely?
