9

"There's no need to go. Pluto won't wait for you to go back and capture him. Remember my words. You must remain calm in the future. I forgive you this time. After all, Pluto has always been your leader. It's inevitable that you have some misgivings about him. But if you make the same mistake in the next mission, you should know the consequences. "

Hearing that the Lord wouldn't punish them, Mie One was overjoyed. He replied respectfully, "Yes, Lord. Thank you for your forgiveness." The nine survivors of the Annihilation Team knelt on the ground at the same time and let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, you can go. From now on, you are not allowed to take a step out of the headquarters for a year. Find a reason to deal with your exposed identities. Now that the organization is missing Pluto, we urgently need to increase our strength. You must work hard and train, understand? Mie One, you will temporarily take over Pluto's position as the leader of the Annihilation Team. If there are any changes in the future, I will inform you. "

"Yes, Lord." The nine members of the Annihilation Team bowed respectfully towards the dark corner and left.

The room returned to silence. After a long time, a gloomy voice sounded, "Lord, this doesn't seem to be against the rules. Are you just going to let Mie One and the others go?"

The ethereal voice said, "You don't understand. The Annihilation Team has made a lot of contributions to the organization. Also, we need people now. Don't you know how much effort it takes to train a killer of the Annihilation Team? Although Mie One and the others combined can't compare to the number one killer on the continent, Pluto, it's not a problem to assassinate some high-level magicians. Pluto was originally the one I valued the most. What a pity! He still hasn't reached the highest realm of an assassin — emotionless and desireless. Pass down my order. Pay a large sum of money for the Thieves Guild to find Pluto's whereabouts. If he's alive, I want to see him. If he's dead, I want to see his corpse. At the same time, pass down my Nine Star Annihilation Order. Have the Yuansha Team be on standby. Once they find Pluto's whereabouts, immediately move out. Don't leave anyone alive. After being poisoned by the Peerless Holy Water, Pluto is no longer of any value. "

"Yes, Lord." The red light in the dark room flashed and disappeared.

The Lord murmured to himself, "Hades! You still have a long way to go if you want to fight me. "

A month after Owen and Dumb left the Forest of Illusions, the Demon Flame Warlock Goris returned. His heart was unusually heavy. The time was almost up. Even after three months of careful consideration, he still could not completely harden his heart. He was used to being alone. Ever since Dumb came, his life had been filled with color. Dumb's kindness and simplicity had deeply touched his heart. The experiment still had to be done, and he couldn't give up on his dream of decades. With a conflicted mood, he returned. In another month, it would be April of the 999th year of the Holy Calendar. According to Goris's calculations, it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In this month, he had to harden his heart in order to successfully fulfill his long-cherished wish.

"Dumb, Dumb, I'm back." Goris shouted in the direction of the wooden house. Although he didn't want to admit it, he really missed Dumb.

After several calls, he didn't get the answer he deserved. Goris was shocked and quickly walked into the wooden house where Dumb lived. Everything was the same as when he left, nothing had changed. However, Dumb was gone. Walking to the bed, he threw the stone aside and picked up the two letters on the bed. An ominous feeling filled his heart. He hurriedly tore open a letter. The handwriting on the paper was like dancing dragons and dancing phoenixes. It was obvious that Dumby couldn't have written it.

"Brother Goris, hello. Although we haven't met, we have been friends for a long time. The day before yesterday, I was chased here. Fortunately, I was saved by your disciple, and I am deeply grateful. I deeply admire brother's research. Dumb used the method you researched to help me temporarily suppress the poison of the Peerless Holy Water. I suddenly realized that Dumb's body has an abnormally strong life force, which is very suitable to learn my martial arts. Because my power has been greatly reduced, in order to take revenge for that blood feud, I had no choice but to use brother's life to force your disciple Dumb to leave. When Dumb succeeds, I will definitely let him return and reunite with brother, waiting by your side. But brother is worried, so I left this letter. Brother is not worried. You will definitely treat him well. I hope brother is wise. "At the end, Hell King nodded.

Goris's hands trembled. Hell King, Hell King. Even though he didn't have much contact with the world, he was still very familiar with this name. He was the number one assassin of the continent thirty years ago. He had killed countless people in his life and had never failed. With a Hell King Sword, he killed all the experts in the world. It was not an exaggeration to say that "Hell King's flash will shake heaven and earth." No one could escape from his pursuit. He was the ace assassin of the Assassin Guild. As early as thirty years ago, he had already reached the level of an assassin.

"Him, how could it be him? Dumb was taken away by Hell King. " In Goris's heart, 'Pluto' was definitely a much more evil person than he was. A feeling of worry filled his chest. Countless questions flashed in Goris's mind. Why was Hell King here? It wasn't strange that he was being chased. After all, he had killed so many people. He must have enemies all over the world. However, who had the ability to poison him with the Peerless Holy Water? As an assassin, his vigilance was the strongest. Also, why did he want to capture Dumby? Looking at what he said in the letter, he didn't seem to have any ill intentions towards Dumb. Instead, he was prepared to teach him everything he knew. At this moment, Goris was filled with worry for Dumb's safety. He didn't even think that if Dumb left, his experiment wouldn't be able to continue.

In his confusion, Goris opened another letter. He recognized the crooked handwriting at a glance. It was Dumb's handwriting. After careful reading, the content of the letter was finally clear. The general meaning of the letter was: "Teacher, I am Dumb! Yesterday, I saved someone. He insisted on taking me away. He said he wanted to teach me some martial arts. I really don't want to go! Teacher, I really don't want to go! Dumb is willing to be with you. You are the person who treats me the best in the world. However, the person I saved said that if I don't go with him, he will kill you. Although Dumb doesn't want to leave his teacher, Dumb doesn't want to see his teacher die. Teacher, Dumb really likes you. For your safety, Dumb can only go with him. Teacher, your formula to suppress the Peerless Holy Water is successful. The person I saved is not in danger for the time being. Teacher, one day when you weren't paying attention, I used some of your silver to exchange for a steamed bun that you brought back the last time. Whenever I miss you, I will look at it. Teacher, if you miss Dumb, you can call me loudly. Dumb will definitely hear you. Teacher, that person said that he will let me go after I learn his martial arts. You must take care of yourself. When Dumb comes back, he will definitely serve you well. Teacher, I've already washed your clothes. They're in your cupboard. I used some of your ingredients when I saved that person. Please forgive me. Don't forget to eat some fruits when you are doing the experiment. Teacher, you are getting old. You must eat well. Teacher, I have to go. Wait for me. You must wait for Dumb to come back. When I come back, you must teach me magic! Teacher, goodbye. Dumb is leaving. You must take care of yourself. "The last line of the letter was written," Always, always thinking of you, Dumb. " There were a few wrinkles on the letter. Those were the traces of water droplets. Goris knew that those were Dumb's tears before he left. Although there were many confusing sentences in the letter, the word "teacher" and the lines were filled with Dumb's endless longing for him.

The letter in his hand fell to the ground. Two streams of tears flowed down his cheeks. He never thought that Dumb, who had only been with him for less than a year, would have such deep feelings for him. The tears left by Goris were tears of regret. At that moment, it seemed that his long-cherished wish was no longer important. He suddenly ran out of the house and shouted, "Dumb, come back, come back quickly! I will teach you magic, I will teach you alchemy. Come back quickly. I will not use you for experiments anymore. " He regretted. He really regretted. Why did he have to leave this place? Why was he so selfish? Dumb was such a good boy! In Goris's life, no one had ever treated him with such sincerity.

Tears streamed down Goris's face as he sat on the ground. He was sitting at the place where Dumb waited for him every day. For the whole day, Goris did not move. His surroundings were shrouded in fog as always. During this day, many thoughts crossed Goris's mind. When night fell, he held the wooden wall behind him and stood up. His stiff body made him look even older. "Dumb, you must come back quickly! Teacher has made his decision. When you come back, you will be my real student. " Goris's heart was filled with incomparable pain. Even for his own younger brother, he did not have such an unusually strong longing. "Teacher has given you too little. As long as you can come back, you will definitely see what teacher has done for you."

Goris turned around and hobbled into the wooden house. His lonely back looked so thin. This old man, who had been obsessed with alchemy all his life, finally understood the true meaning of emotion.

After a month's long journey, Owen and Dumb finally arrived at the seaside town in the easternmost part of the Suoyu Federation from the westernmost part of the continent — Stone Town. This town belonged to the Xibo Tribe, the weakest of the six major tribes in the Suoyu Federation. Over the past month, Owen had bought a fine horse. Almost everything was done on horseback. They traveled in the morning and slept at night. They tried their best to take remote roads. Every time they passed by a city, Owen would change horses. Even so, it took them more than 30 days to reach their destination, which was equivalent to crossing the continent.

The six major tribes in the Suoyu Federation were the Yalian people. The Yalian people were made up of black people. Although black people were ostracized by other tribes on the continent, it was undeniable that black people had the strongest bodies and indomitable willpower. As a nomadic tribe, they had the strongest cavalry on the continent. The Yalian people occupied close to one-third of the plains in the Suoyu Federation. They were in the westernmost part of the Suoyu Federation, and they were in the leading position in the Federation. Their border was located in the westernmost part of the Federation, bordering the Tenjin Empire to the north, the Hwasin Empire to the south, and the Holy Holy Hall to the west. To the southeast of the Yalian people was the Sky Yuan Tribe, which only bordered the Hwasin Empire. In fact, this place was made up of many minority tribes. Because of this, they considered themselves to be a miniature version of the continent, and gave their tribe the same name as the continent — Sky Yuan. The area where the Sky Yuan Tribe was located could be said to be the most complicated place on the continent. There were no plains, only hills and large forests. The dwarves, elves, winged people, and half-beastmen had always been aloof from worldly affairs and lived peaceful lives. However, this did not mean that they could only be trampled on. The dwarves who were skilled in forging, the elves who were natural archers, the winged people who could fly at high speeds, and the half-beastmen who were extremely strong formed an alliance. They were definitely the elites of the Suoyu Federation. They were collectively known as the Sky Yuan Tribe, and the important matters of the tribe were decided by the four major tribes through consultation. To the northeast of the Yalian people was the Yakin people, who were mostly white. Most of the people here had migrated from the Tenjin Empire, and then reproduced with the other tribes of the Suoyu Federation. After many generations of development, they had finally reached their current scale. In the territory of the Yakin people, it was almost the same as the Tenjin Empire. There were cities everywhere, and they were also the most developed tribe in the Suoyu Federation. To the east of the Yalian people was the second largest tribe in the Suoyu Federation, the Puyan people. The Puyan people were a mysterious tribe, and they rarely communicated with other tribes. Unless something big happened in the Suoyu Federation, they would usually live a self-sufficient life. The weapons that the Puyan people produced were their biggest source of income. To the north of the Puyan people was the Red Mongol. The people there were fierce, and their red hair was their biggest characteristic. The Red Mongol was the birthplace of the Mercenary Union, and the largest mercenary group on the continent, the Red Nightmare Mercenary Group, was made up entirely of Red Nightmare people. The easternmost part of the Suoyu Federation, which was also the easternmost part of the continent, was the Xibo Tribe, which Owen and Dumb had come to. The Xibo Tribe was a simple and kind small tribe, and their people usually relied on fishing for a living. Their biggest advantage was the fleet that could compete with any country on the continent. Among the six major tribes of the Suoyu Federation, only the Xibo Tribe relied on the help of other tribes for a living. Otherwise, with the strength of their tribe, they wouldn't be able to maintain such a huge fleet. Therefore, other tribes of the Suoyu Federation often appeared in the territory of the Xibo Tribe.

Looking at the endless sea, Owen said to Dumb, "We'll be living here in the future. Do you know what this place is?"

Dumb shook his head and said, "I don't know." During this period of time, he had been very quiet. When Owen rode with him, he would sit on the horse's back in a daze. At the end of the day, his whole body was sore, but he never complained. Unless Owen asked him, he rarely took the initiative to speak. Owen also noticed that Dumb was much more dull than when they first met, and he naturally understood why. However, he never asked Dumb about it. He believed that after a period of time, Dumb would definitely adapt to the life here.

Stone Town was one of the dozens of coastal towns of the Xibo Tribe. Many of the Xibo people here were immigrants from the Hwasin Empire, so people with black hair and black eyes like Dumb could be found everywhere. Coming here, Dumb was no longer as conspicuous as he was in the Tenjin Empire. This was also the only thing that made Dumb feel better.

During the journey, Owen could be said to be very protective of Dumb. In order to let Dumb sit on the horse for a long time, he specially bought a thick soft cushion. Although Dumb's answer was always a shake of the head, Owen would ask him a few questions almost every day. Are you tired? Are you hungry? Wait a minute. Although Dumb was no longer as quiet as he was when they first left the Forest of Illusions, there was still a deep gap between him and Owen.

When Owen and Dumb entered Stone Town, because it was broad daylight, the strong men in the village were either out fishing or working in the shipyards of the Xibo Tribe. There were only a few old people, women, and children left in the village. On the small road in the town, they could occasionally see a few women sitting together washing clothes, and children in plain clothes playing with each other.

In order not to scare the villagers and make them hostile, before entering the village, Owen hid his broadsword in a group of reefs by the sea, changed into ordinary civilian clothes, and sold his horse. But even so, these two unfamiliar faces were still questioned by the locals. A man in his fifties, who looked like a local warden, walked up to them and asked doubtfully, "You're not locals, right? What are you doing here?" The language of the Suoyu Federation was different from that of Tianjin. Even within the Suoyu Federation, the accents of the six major tribes had their own characteristics. If one wasn't very familiar with them, it would be difficult to distinguish them. Along the way, Owen would teach Dumby some strange pronunciations of the language and patiently explain it to him. Due to its slow brain, Dumby could only learn some simple words. It was only now that Dumb realized that Owen was teaching him the local dialect. He could barely understand what the other party was saying.

Owen smiled and said in the purest Suoyu Federation language, "Hello, I was born here. It's just that I left home for a long time and haven't been back."

Hearing that they were speaking the same language, the other party's expression relaxed a little. He said, "Are you from the town? Why don't I remember? "

Owen looked him up and down and suddenly said in surprise, "Ah! Are you Schiller's brother? "

Schiller was stunned and said, "How do you know my name is Schiller? You, who are you? Why don't I remember? "

Owen said excitedly, "Schiller, it's really you. I'm Owen! I don't know you anymore. I've been away for almost 50 years. Have you forgotten how we peed and splashed mud together when we were young? At that time, we were even beaten up. "

Schiller looked at Owen in shock. After a long time, he said, "You, you're really Owen. But, but why are you so young?"

Owen rolled up his right sleeve and revealed his fair arm. There was a dark purple crescent-shaped scar on his arm. He said, "Look, this was scraped by the anchor on the ship when I was trying to save you. Don't you remember? "

Dumby stared blankly at Owen and Schiller. As they spoke very quickly, Dumby could only barely understand a few of the words they said.

Schiller grabbed Owen's arm and looked at him carefully. He said, "Ah! You're really Owen. If it weren't for you, I would have died in the sea. But Big Brother, why are you still so young? I remember that you're two years older than me. I'm 56 years old this year, and you were born in February of the 93rd year of the Holy Calendar. That means you should be 58 years old. I can't tell, I really can't tell at all! "

Owen smiled and said, "Actually, it's nothing. Maybe it's because I've been living in the mountains and absorbed the spiritual energy of nature, so I look younger. Schiller, is our ancestral house still there? "

Schiller nodded and said, "It is. Let's go, I'll show you. I've taken over my father's position and been the mayor for more than 10 years. With our relationship back then, no one would dare to touch your ancestral house. However, it's a bit dilapidated now. If you want to live in it, you'll have to renovate it. Big Brother, are you going to leave after coming back this time? "

Owen shook his head and sighed. "Sigh … I'm not leaving. After spending most of my life outside, it's time for me to return to my roots. Ah! By the way, Brother, this is a distant nephew of mine. He's my only relative now. We'll settle down here. Maybe I'll live here until I die. "

Schiller laughed heartily and said, "Big Brother, I was just worried that no one would accompany me. In the future, we can keep each other company. Let's go, I'll show you the ancestral house. When my boys come back, they'll help you renovate it. We can be neighbors again. "

Under Schiller's enthusiastic lead, Dumb and Owen came to a small courtyard on the east side of Shitang Town near the sea. This small courtyard was some distance away from the residences of the other residents of Shitang Town. Seeing the small courtyard in front of him, Owen's eyes turned red. After all, this was where he had experienced his childhood.

Schiller patted Owen's shoulder and said, "Why, are you missing your uncle and auntie again? Sigh, that huge tsunami really killed a lot of people! "

Owen glanced at Schiller and said, "It's been so many years. What's the point of thinking about it?" He took out a few gold coins and stuffed them into Schiller's hand. "Brother, I haven't been back for so many years, and I'm not familiar with anything. I'll have to trouble you to find someone to fix this broken house for me!"

Schiller quickly refused and said, "Big Brother, what are you doing? Aren't you treating me like an outsider? It wasn't easy for you to come back, so it's only right for me to help you. Don't worry, I'm still considered a big shot in town. When my sons who went out to work come back, I'll get them to get you some linoleum and wood to fix it up. It should be enough in a day's work. Don't give me money, or I'll be angry. "

Owen said, "How can I do that? I'm already very sorry for troubling you to help me. How can I let you pay for it? Take it, take it quickly. Otherwise, I won't come back to stay. "The two argued for a long time, but in the end, Schiller couldn't win against Owen and accepted the money.

Schiller said, "Big Brother, go back to the courtyard and take a look. I'll take care of it for you. Come to my house for lunch this afternoon. We have to have a few drinks. I have some old wine, haha." As he spoke, he turned and walked back into town.

Looking at Schiller's gradually disappearing figure, Owen said to Dumb, "When you see him in the future, you have to call him Uncle Schiller. Call me Uncle, got it? This is where we live. "

Dumb nodded and asked, "Uncle, when are you going to start teaching me kung fu?"

Owen smiled and said, "Are you in a hurry? I know you want to go back and see your teacher as soon as possible, but learning kung fu isn't something that can be done in a day or two. We have to prepare everything before we can start, right? Let's go, I'll bring you in to have a look. I haven't been back for more than 40 years. "

Dumb understood what Schiller and Owen had said about their age. He asked curiously, "Uncle, are you really 58 years old?"

Owen glanced at him and said gently, "Yes! I'm 58 years old. The reason why I look so young is mainly because the kung fu I practice has the effect of slowing down aging. That's why I look like I'm only 40 years old. When we settle down, Uncle will teach you this kung fu. "

Owen pushed open the unlocked door, and a musty smell hit them in the face. He frowned and pulled Dumb in. A yard that was about 30 square meters came into view. There was nothing in the surroundings except for the closed door of the tiled house. There were a lot of spider webs in the corners of the walls. Because this place was close to the sea, there was no moss. Otherwise, it would be even more difficult to clean up.

Two days later, with Schiller's enthusiastic help, Owen's ancestral house was renovated. They even bought some new furniture. With the support of Schiller, the mayor, the people here gradually accepted Owen and Dumb.

Dumb felt a lot more relaxed. Compared to the wooden house in the Forest of Illusion, this place was more like a home. Everyone was very nice to him. He got to know Schiller's three sons. His eldest son seemed to be about the same age as Owen. When Schiller told them that Owen was older than him, his family was in disbelief. Schiller's three sons were all married. His eldest granddaughter was only two years younger than Dumb. He also had two grandsons, who were seven and three years old respectively.

In the evening, Owen sent Schiller's family off. He stood in the yard and took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze. He said, "Dumb, come here."

Dumb had just finished clearing the dishes. When he heard Owen calling him, he wiped his hands dry and walked over. "Uncle."

Owen turned around and looked at Dumb. He said seriously, "I know you hate me. You hate me for forcing you to leave your teacher. However, from tonight onwards, I'm going to teach you everything I've learned. I hope you can study hard. If you want to see your teacher again, you can only leave after you've learned all my kung fu. Do you understand? "

Dumb nodded and said softly, "I understand." Although he agreed verbally, his heart had already flown to the Forest of Hallucinations. He wondered if Teacher Goris had returned.

Owen said, "From today onwards, don't practice the magic that Teacher Goris taught you. It will distract you. Magic is very rare in this town. Don't use your fire magic in front of people. Do you understand? "

Dumb raised his head and stared at Owen. He said firmly, "No, I must practice magic. I can't forget the magic that Teacher taught me."

Owen was stunned. This was the first time that Dumb had dared to refute him. He was not angry because of this. He said gently, "Child, you must understand that you can't learn magic and martial arts at the same time. A person's life experience is limited. It's not easy to reach the peak of one of these professions, let alone learning both at the same time. Your teacher Goris will not blame you. "

Dumb shook his head stubbornly and said, "No, I can't do that. I must practice magic. I don't need to use it in front of people, but I must practice it every day. "

Owen thought about it and said, "Alright then. Since you insist, I will allow you to practice for an hour every night. However, you must not let magic affect your martial arts cultivation at other times. Can you do that? If not, you must give up on magic. "

Dumb nodded and said, "I-I can definitely do that."

Owen said seriously, "Alright then. Today, I will teach you the most basic cultivation method. The fighting energy that I practice is called the Rebirth Chant. It means that it will grow and multiply endlessly. Its main purpose is to increase the strength of one's life force and transform it into fighting energy with a holy aura. It can be said to be the most authentic top-notch fighting energy cultivation method on the continent. It is also the best way to preserve one's health. That is why I look so young. When the Rebirth Chant is activated in your body, it will be the vital energy that your teacher Goris talked about. When the energy is released to attack, it will be the so-called fighting energy. Since you have eaten the Reincarnation Fruit, your cultivation will be twice the result with half the effort. Come, let's go back to the house. I will teach you the chant. "

Back in the room, Owen said in a serious tone, "There are only four words in the general principles of the Life Chant, and that is' endless growth and generation 'that I told you about. Only with endless growth and generation of zhenqi can you always have the ability to release fighting qi." Back then, it was because of the endless vital energy of the Rebirth Chant that Owen was able to last until he scared off Mie Yi and the others. "You must remember the chant for the first stage. That is, the energy moves with your thoughts, and the energy is born from your heart. Cultivate energy into energy, and multiply endlessly. The cultivation of the first stage is also the foundation of the Rebirth Chant. It is the foundational stage. Alright, let's begin. "

Owen asked Dumb to sit cross-legged on the bed while he sat behind Dumb. He pressed his right palm on Dumb's back and said, "Close your eyes and recite the chant. You have to understand the chant. Use your mind to sense the direction of the warm air flow and remember it. Alright, let's begin. "