Life Drain System

Chapter 113 - Accept Or Escape?

    Hearing her deductions, Shin answers. "You are quite astute, and correct. Of course, there is another thing as well. However I am sure you already noticed, but just do not know what it is. Also, this is just an offer so do not feel pressured, but if you ever feel like you want to join my sect we will be more than happy to accept one as talented and knowledgeable as yourself. I am sure you would thrive here."

    Meiren not wanting to offend the one helping them comments. "For now, I must say no. However one day if the option is still available maybe then. Until then please take care."

    Feeling some what disappointed, yet also having expected the answer, Shin just continues locking down the threat in just one area.

    A few moments later, as he finished, he says. "Alright, I have the perpetrator locked here. Shall we go now?" He asks after pointing to a certain area on the map.

    The two quickly nod, and just as they are about to leave, they hear a yawn from behind them. Meiren, Rei, and Shin all look towards the sound of yawning. Shins' face looks kind of surprised as he had forgotten the two tigers, as had the the other two in the room.

    Meanwhile Shen Hu raises his head as Huoli is still waking, and changes into his human forming asking. "What are you three gawking at? You look as though this is your first time seeing divine tigers."

    Hearing this, Shin felt his guesses were confirmed, as he was fairly certain when he saw them earlier. Of course, having a snow leopard that could talk certainly made him dismiss this theory. Either way, he decides to ask with holding his curiosity. "Good evening, are you two coming with us?"

    Although the answer seemed obvious, Shen Hu answers while rubbing his mates fur on her head as she wakes. "Go ahead, we still have to work on waking the others. If you need anything that is within our capabilities ask later and we might help."

    Receiving such a reply, the group of three leaves, as the two tigers cuddle each other until Huoli finally awakes. When she does a few minutes time later, the two exchange pleasantries before heading down to work on waking the other sleeping people.

    While leaving the room, Huoli says. "Well at least since the more powerful cultivators are awake, if we save the other cultivators for later, we could probably wake more people at once. What do you think Shen Hu?"

    Still feeling a little drowsy, he answers. "Sure, it sounds like a plan. I just want to get this over with then get a nice long sleep. This is exhausting. By the way, using your chi in this way must be hard on you right? I mean you have to use it to nourish and strengthen the cub(s) right? Therefore you must not have much left over."

    Feeling touched that he is worrying about her and the cubs, she replies. "Do not worry about that, I am only using the outside chi to nourish them. Of course if we did not have to do this, they could be born much stronger, but oh well. It is more dangerous here, and we need our friends as well as our allies."

    "While it is a little disappointing that we have to do things this way, we can try to make up for it once they are born hopefully." Shen Hu comments while they are walking.

    Meanwhile, a few minutes later elsewhere, the group of three arrives before a box in a hallway where the old woman is pacing back and forth occasionally hitting the wall trying to escape. However something hilarious is that each time she hits the walls, he attack is doubled and sent back at or through her. Thus causing the three to chuckle a little at the persons idiocy.

    After watching for a few moments, and feeling that this persons actions had lost their comedic effect, Shin asks. "How about you remove your disguise little one, or do you want me to do it for you?"

    Recognizing the voice, but not able to see anyone around her, she replies. "Do it if you can, clearly you are no where near me. So how could you possibly do it."

    Just as Meiren and Rei were about to ask how she could not see them, Shin made them go silent with a mental transmission saying. "It is because the technique shows the person inside what was there before, not what is around now. Thus hiding the identity of the one doing the imprisoning."

    While the ability worked in telling them, both Shin and Meiren are extremely surprised that it actually went through, as mental transmissions are only supposed to work for humans, or humanoid like creatures. Either way, feeling that it was likely a fluke, the two decided to just ignore it for now.

    Meanwhile, seeing that her disguise was not removed, the woman kept trying to find a way out of the temporary imprisoning technique. 

    Shin feeling that this has gone on long enough, releases a surge of his power through the technique to disrupt her disguise. A second later, her disguise shimmers away, showing an unappealing young woman.

    Seeing this, Shin scoffs and says aloud. "I should have known, no wonder you did not know about this technique. You are the new recruit who is less talented and appealing than all your peers, and only your alchemy is great. Enough so that we recruited you just so the others would work harder."

    The young lady inside falls on her butt, and begins crying, thinking to herself. 'So basically the ant policy, if you have a few lazy ants, than the rest will work hard. However if you remove them, the old become the lazy. Also, just because I was ugly as a mortal does not make me ugly now. I am pretty now because of cultivating, however if compared to the others I guess they are right. What about me is appealing compared to all the other cultivators. At least I have alchemy if nothing else.'

    Looking at the young lady crying, Shin could tell why. It was not because of what he said, but because of being self conscious about her looks, combined with his bad choice of words. Thus to fix the error he says truthfully. "My apologies if you took my words wrong. When I said appealing, I meant your background or anything interesting about you. I was not talking about appearance because in this sect that does not matter at all. Talent and ability are the only things we care about here."

  While the young lady may have been the least appealing in appearance among most cultivators Shin had seen, he knew there were ugly cultivators. More specifically yin cultivators, many of them have deformities, unless using a special technique that makes them much more physically appealing. Of course they could never beat top yang cultivators in appearance, even weaker yang cultivators could beat them in a fight should it come down to it.

    Watching the scene unfolding before her, Meiren thinks to herself. 'Why do human women care so much about appearance? So much so that they have even made techniques to make themselves more beautiful. Do they really not realize that human men, while liking beauty, prefer substance, and what they can relate to. I guess as an animal I just do not understand yet.'

    Rei on the other hand, thought to himself while shaking his head a little. 'Foolish woman, caring more about her appearance than her cultivation, or skill. If she cannot get rid of this, she will never progress in either skill or cultivating. But this does not have to do with me, so she can figure it out herself.'

    However wanting to quickly get to the bottom of this so he can get to other things, Shin asks while still in his soaking wet white fluffy towel around his waist. "Why are you using, harming, and scaring these people?"

    Rei looks over at Shin who just asked the question, and observes him, thinking about cultivating soon. Seeing his black long lower back length hair flowing as if a breeze, his handsome blue eyes, everything about Shin looking so handsome that one would think this gorgeous cultivator was an idol or something even if he looks to be in his 30s' just imagining how great he will look when he progresses made Rei look forward to cultivation all the more.

    Meanwhile, the young lady answers. "I just wanted more materials, and they could get them for me. If I progressed in my alchemy, then surely my status and treatment would rise. Maybe people would even like me instead of thinking of me as garbage."

    Listening to her reasoning, Shin comments. "You are not garbage, but you look down on yourself so much, how can you expect others to see other wise, or even progress yourself. Not mentioning those, even if you want to progress in alchemy, it is impossible without raising your cultivation first. Then even if you did by some impossible chance succeed, do you really think people would look up to you just because of that and even if they did, would that truly bring you happiness? If so you are even less cut out for cultivation than I thought."

    The lady feels her chest squeezing just knowing that what he has said so far is true, and then Shin continues. "You do realize that you are missing the whole point of cultivation right? Cultivating is not for showing off, or hurting others, do you really not get it? We cultivate to better ourselves, and help those around us, even protecting others. Do you remember the saying we teach before you enter this place?" He asks her.

    Under her sniveling and crying she says. "I remember, a good person can protect themselves, a great one can protect others. However, what does this have to do with our cultivating?"

    Hearing this, Shin felt this was the last straw and says. "I am sorry, but I have put up with a lot from you. Trying to help you through out your time here, but clearly you will only be harming others and yourself if you manage to grow. For your punishment, you shall lose your cultivation and become a mortal once more. To ensure that you will not be able to harm others, your dan tian shall be broken as well." 

    The young ladies eyes widen in shock and she exclaims. "How is that punishment fitting the crime? What have I done?"

    Walking into the imprisoning technique, he says. "I should have done this long ago. Your crimes are more than I can count, but in hopes that you would become better your fellow disciples and I have put up with much your mistakes. Now without embarrassing yourself any further accept your punishment."