Chapter 229 – Legend of the Sage Alchemist (XI)

Chapter 229

Legend of the Sage Alchemist (XI)

This is one of those moments in life where I wish I could freeze time for about 9 seconds only so I can scream ‘Fuck!’ at the top of my lungs ’till my throat starts to hurt. Not only is this guy not embarrassed that he lost the bet, but my little antics have only made him even more curious.

And if there’s anything I hate more than assholes, it’s curious assholes.

How did I find the parasite? The hell if I know! It wasn’t me, dude! All I did was put on a stupid pony show and pretend to drill a needle into her forehead when a voice screamed in my head to do it! As for how Long Tao found it?

Dude, I might be terrified of you and your big, fat narcissism, but I’ve been terrified of that monster-dressed-as-kid from the first day in this world. My mind spun a thousand miles an hour, but it was pointless; there wasn’t a ‘good’ answer, not the kind that would make him go away, anyway.

“… you’ve lost the bet,” I said. “And you’re already demanding things?”

“Ho ho. Indeed, it’s rather discourteous, and if you were of a remotely equal status to mine, I may have even pretended to care. But… very well. It’s unlikely you will tell me, anyway. So, all I will ask is a simple question: did you plant the parasite to begin with?”

“What? No, of course not,” I said quickly. “I came to this city for the first time in my life a few days ago, in the first place.”

“You officially came here for the first time. But… I believe you,” he said. “Liars and thieves rarely, if ever, escape my eyes.” Well, I am still a liar, though. So, your ‘bullshit’ detector isn’t as good as you believe it is. “To think I’d find something curious in this depraved, bottom-of-the-barrel hellhole. Hah!” He looked back over at me, and I shuddered.

I do not want this man following me around for an entire freakin’ year! Honestly, I’d rather he just cursed me out in embarrassment and simply left, not even giving me any Spirit Stones…

“Can you at least tell me something to satiate my curiosity?” I do actually have a truth that will fall in line with the lies I’ve been spewing.

“… while crossing over the Eternal Range, I found one.”

“What?”

“The parasite. At the summit itself. It was feeding on the Life Qi of all the dying on the entire mountain.”

“Ooh! So, that’s how you immediately knew what was wrong with her?” he exclaimed. “Ha ha–I’ve been had, indeed!” Just how many personalities is this asshole actually packing? “What kind of a parasite was it?”

“A vine.”

“A vine? On the mountain? In the cold?”

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“You? An Exalted Alchemist? Unable to locate a parasite? See? I can make anything sound dubious, too.” He cracked a grin as he stared me down, turning his gaze back over to the girl.

“You mentioned that the parasite on the mountain was sucking up the Life Qi of the entire mountain. So, why is that not the case here? Why isn’t the entire city suffering?”

“Of my few talents, knowing why parasites do what they do isn’t one of them, I’m afraid. But I do know who’s likely behind it. Well, not the one who’s behind the girl’s condition, but where the parasite came from.”

“Oh? Why do I feel the condition for telling me will disappoint me?”

“If I tell you, all you have to do is just… go away.”

“Huh?”