Sundering Nature

Volume 8 9

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

TL: Zhao

Editing: Krisaia

Life resumed its usual platitude, with Chen Jiawang’s becoming a clerk in the tea shop to which no one would come. Li Yiming sat on his chair everyday, answering the occasional questions Chen Jiawang would ask him out of boredom.

On the surface, it seemed like Li Yiming was doing nothing but sitting at his chair, but during the entire time, he had been trying to improve his talent. Just like Stargaze, Li Yiming had noticed the changes in Heaven’s Laws, and he was ready to do anything to become stronger, especially after witnessing the power of Mr. Kong and his associates back in the domain.

More than anything, he did not want to experience the feeling of powerlessness when one could not even protect one’s dearest love, much less the rest of the world.

Ding!

The bell at the entrance of the tea shop rang. Chen Jiawang’s eyes lit up with excitement as it was the first customer in a few days.

The visitor was an obese man, whose appearance looked rather intimidating.

"Hello, sir. Are you alone?" Chen Jiawang, who had been working as a waiter for a long time as a part-time job, was used to the routine of greeting customers.

The visitor, Mr. Ma, was obviously surprised at seeing a fresh face working as a waiter in the establishment. He looked around and saw Li Yiming looking back at him from his seat.

Mr. Ma quickly put down the gift he had brought, a small potted plant. He then bowed in Li Yiming’s direction and left.

Today, Mr. Ma came to say goodbye to Li Yiming. Despite having been released from custody after only a few days, he had decided to change his line of work and start afresh as an honest man in another city. Mr. Ma had just enough wisdom to understand that Li Yiming did not necessarily want to see him nor talk to him, and expressing his gratitude was more than enough.

"What? Captain, is he your friend?" Chen Jiawang looked at the plant inside the pot, whose leaves reflected back an emerald luster under the sunlight. One could tell at a single glance that it was not a cheap gift.

"You could say that. How about you find a place for that pot?" Li Yiming smiled as he understood Mr. Ma’s intentions. Li Yiming had a fairly good impression of the latter, as he had obtained much useful information from the few times they met.

Ding!

The bell rang again. Chen Jiawang, thinking that it was Mr. Ma who came back, went to the door, only to see a young, fashionably-dressed couple enter the shop.

"Uh..." Chen Jiawang did not rush to greet the customers, as he wondered whether they were Li Yiming’s friend once again.

"What are you doing? Is this shop open or not?" The young man, who led the way, seemed irritated at seeing Chen Jiawang staring at him dumbly.

"Ah! Of course we’re open! Welcome! May I ask how many seats do you require?" Chen Jiawang, just like Li Yiming when he first became a guardian, still had some difficulty adjusting to his new identity. However, he knew as much as to work his hardest to please his host. He quickly put down the potted plant and went to greet the customers.

"Oh? Nice imitation you’ve got there." The young man remarked, refusing to believe that the potted plant was genuine.

"What would you like to drink?" Chen Jiawan asked without minding his comment.

"We’ve walked for an entire day. How about we rest for a bit here before supper?" The young man said as he gave the menu to the woman.

"Can I have a cup of cappuccino?" The woman, instead of looking through the menu, took out her cellphone and used the screen’s reflection to fix her make-up. The beads of sweat on her forehead suggested that she had been walking for a considerable amount of time already.

"I’m sorry, we don’t have that here," Chen Jiawan said apologetically.

"Oh? Then what about milk tea. No ice with extra milk, and reduced toppings please."

"Uh, I’m sorry, we don’t have that either." Chen Jiawang said as he glanced at Li Yiming — he had already made the suggestion that the menu was far too lacking for a modern establishment.

"What the hell? Are you serious?" The young man complained.

"Well, it seems like they’ve only opened recently. Maybe they’re just not ready yet. How about fresh fruit juice? Apple and pear with no ice." The woman said with a smile to alleviate Chen Jiawang’s embarrassment.

"I’m sorry..." The same answer came again.

"What do you have then?" The young man was growing angry by the second. He had planned a special surprise for the girl he wanted to court, and he was much less likely to make her happy if she was in a foul mood already.

"Tea..." Chen Jiawan opened the menu, showing the few varieties of tea written on it.

"Alright. Chrysanthemum tea then." The woman shrugged her shoulders in frustration as she started to understand why the tea shop had so few customers.

"Give us a few deserts along with that." The young man added with irritation.

"I’m sorry, but..."

"You don’t have any?" The young woman laughed. It was hard to imagine a tea shop which only served tea in this day and age.

Chen Jiawang nodded as a bead of cold sweat rolled down his forehead.

The young man could no longer stand it and slammed the table. "Can’t you go out and buy some then?"

"I..." Chen Jiawang felt overwhelmed and glanced at Li Yiming for help, only to find him meditating with his eyes closed.

"Call your manager out!" The man was outraged as he began to think that Chen Jiawang was ridiculing him on purpose.

With even the woman palpably displeased now, Chen Jiawang scratched his head and looked at Li Yiming.

Busy with his meditation, Li Yiming had already sunk into a deep meditative trance in which he considered which talent to focus on improving first. ’Dancing, Thunder Purity, sword technique, the metal ball... Which one should I focus on? The dancing technique... Should I learn more dances, or focus on improving my understanding of "emptiness"? I’m used to fighting with my metal orb, but after what Aunt Wu taught me...’

"Li Yiming!" A voice suddenly pulled Li Yiming out of his meditation. He looked up and saw a woman and a man around a table.

"Wu Jia?" Li Yiming said.

Wu Jia was a high school classmate of Li Yiming’s. The two did not share a particularly close connection during their time at school. However, Wu Jia did leave an impression on Li Yiming for being a student who specialized in fine arts. She ended up studying at an arts college in Hangzhou, and the two even bumped into each other a while back.

The couple did not notice Li Yiming at first due to his blending into his surroundings in his meditative state until Chen Jiawang began glancing repeatedly in his direction.

"What are you doing here?" Wu Jia asked excitedly.

"I’m drinking tea..." Li Yiming stood up and tried to force a smile, but to no avail.

"Capt... Boss, you’re friends?" Chen Jiawang asked.

"Hey, Yang Wei, come sit over here. He’s my high school classmate." Wu Jia’s mood was visibly lightened by the chanced encounter.

"Jiawang. Go get two cups and a pot of red tea." Li Yiming nodded in Yang Wei’s direction as a salutation and ordered Chen Jiawang. He was rather excited in meeting an old friend, since they reminded him of his past and of the people that he had been trying to protect.