Pretending To Be A Boss

The third and final question was actually the one Tang Xian cared about the most.

"At this stage in my evolution, I can transform into a human form,"

"I know. I can do it too." Tang Xian hadn't expected the answer to be related to transforming into a human.

The topic had just become more interesting.

He didn't want to miss the opportunity.

"Speaking of which, why can we turn into humans?"

"You don't know, and neither do I."

Bai Mansheng's response was decisive, leaving Tang Xian somewhat disappointed.

Akasi was finally convinced that Tang Xian was pretending to be a creature from the mining district.

Such boldness in his artistry...

As the prime test subject who grew up in the evolutionary zone, having seen a myriad of twisted experiments beyond the imagination of ordinary people, Akasi was still shocked by Tang Xian's performance today.

He remained silent, playing the role of a mute human attendant.

"We can take on human forms. The Court of All Beasts once said this is the first step in the interconnectedness of all things. It is also the first step in tracing back to our origins, but there was never much more said about it."

Interconnectedness of all things? Tracing back to origins?

Tang Xian was not a man of lowly tastes, but the first thing that came to his mind was mating.

A turtle couldn't mate with a rabbit.

Nor would a lion marry a tiger.

But if everyone turned into a human shape and even shared a common human language,

then... could species that previously couldn't mate now do so?

That's probably what they meant by the interconnectedness of all things.

Their offspring would probably retain a human form, but what would their true nature be?

It's too complicated, because the reason for transforming into humans couldn't be found.

It must be related to tracing back to our origins.

The mysteries of the mining world were multiplying, and even these most powerful creatures didn't know; perhaps no one knew at all.

It's possible that the Court of All Beasts had also lost many precious texts over time due to historical changes.

Tang Xian shook his head, no longer dwelling on it.

There was already a pile of unsolvable mysteries on the side of the Pyramid and the human catastrophe.

Both worlds were incredibly complex.

"So you can take on human forms, and then how did you get into trouble?" Tang Xian steered the conversation back on track.

"Do you know about the Endless Turtle?"

"There's a real creature from the myths?"

People usually marveled at the strange creatures Tang Xian spoke of, but now it was his turn to be amazed.

He was somewhat familiar with the Endless Turtle, having seen it mentioned in the "New Classic of Mountains and Seas" a long time ago.

The book dated back hundreds of years when humans still struggled against enhanced creatures, and he was somewhat skeptical of many of its descriptions.

"What myth?"

"It looks like a turtle with a bird's head and a snake's tail. Its sound is like clanking wood; wearing it prevents deafness and can be used as a foundation. Is the Endless Turtle you're talking about like this?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"No, the Endless Turtle just looks like a rather large ordinary turtle. Although it can't transform, it can speak human language. As for the turtle you mentioned... I have never seen one. Who told you about it?" Your journey continues on empire

"Lu Xun said it."

"I don't know him."

"It doesn't matter, continue, what does your conflict with Qing JiuYu have to do with this old turtle?"

"The Endless Turtle can foresee some incomplete fragments. The time is unverifiable, the place unverifiable, but its prophecies eventually come to pass in part."

"Did it make a prophecy that caused you and Qing JiuYu to fall out?"

"It's not a falling out, I simply never liked her."

"All right, what was the prophecy?" Tang Xian asked.

Bai Mansheng fell silent.

"Why aren't you speaking?"

"I don't feel like talking about it. I need to rest for a bit before I go. Are you heading to the north?"

"Don't dodge the subject. Do you still want to hear the story or not?"

"Are you threatening me?" Bai Mansheng stared at Tang Xian.

Tang Xian didn't back down, nodded, and said,

"You said it yourself, it's a storyteller's discipline. I've always hated stories that are left unfinished and people who only speak half their mind."

Bai Mansheng paused for a moment, then nodded, feeling that Xu Xian's words made sense.

She bit her silver teeth and said,

"The Endless Turtle said that Qing Jiuyu will compete with me for a man in the future. Though I don't know who my beloved will be, I cannot tolerate this fox enchantress."

Pfft...

It wasn't that Tang Xian couldn't hold back, but Akasi, who was drinking lake water, couldn't.

However, Tang Xian's expression was also quite a sight. After being stunned for two seconds, Tang Xian said,

"That old turtle really speaks without a filter."

Bai Mansheng shook her head and said,

"The Endless Turtle's predictions are very accurate. When the Court of All Beasts can't settle some matters, those wisest of the ancient long-eared apes would consult it."

"Is there only one Endless Turtle?"

"On the north side, there's only one; whether there are any in the Southern Territory is unclear."

Tang Xian nodded, finding the idea not unacceptable. Some animals have a very slow sense of time and, over the long term, can create unstable time distortions, gaining knowledge of some fragments.

This is mainly reflected in some long-lived creatures.

If humans can awaken strange and unusual abilities, then it's normal for the indigenous creatures in the mining area to have even stranger abilities. It wasn't hard to accept.

Tang Xian still felt it was a pity, though. If there were two, it would have been nice to kill one for soup.

Turtle soup nourishes the stomach and is a great delicacy.

However, regarding the old turtle's words, Tang Xian pondered them carefully and felt that Bai Mansheng and Qing Jiuyu might have misunderstood the meaning. He always felt that the phrase "compete for a man" should not be specifically about romantic relationships.

"I need to go," Bai Mansheng stood up.

Tang Xian also nodded. If this little white snake listened to another story and had a few more pots of soup, she might have spent over ten hours.

Dongran, Qiaoshanshan, and those girls are probably constantly calling me by now, right?

If he arrived at the mining area ten hours later, the two women would be easy to explain, but Tang Xiaojiu was a juvenile form of a nine-tailed fox.

If Bai Mansheng found out, it would be troublesome to explain.

"Let's go. I won't see you out."

Just like when he parted with Qing Jiuyu, Tang Xian didn't have a sentimental habit.

Bai Mansheng sized Tang Xian up again, taking a serious look at him from head to toe, then nodded and said,

"Where are you off to? Since you don't live in the White Bone Mountain Range, you must be hurrying somewhere."

"I'm heading south," Tang Xian replied.

"Oh, then farewell."

"Until we meet again."

Bai Mansheng, seeing Tang Xian's nonchalant attitude, felt inexplicably annoyed. She didn't linger any longer, and with a light step, her figure slowly disappeared into the distance.

Tang Xian kept silent; he glanced at Akasi, knowing that Akasi probably had a bunch of questions.

But Akasi didn't speak either.

It was only after a long time, when Tang Xian noticed that the scent in his breath had faded substantially, that he finally relaxed.

"In three hours, Dongran and Qiaoshanshan should be back here. I actually really wanted to ride the giant snake, just considering the trouble with these women," Tang Xian said with some regret.

After having ridden a fox, naturally, he would also want to ride a giant white snake tens of meters long.

Akasi said seriously, "Although Dongran and Shanshan have some strength, there's really no need to bring them along for hunting a calamity-level creature."

Tang Xian replied, "Dongran needs some experience, and Qiaoshanshan's role is indeed negligible in battles where the power gap is wide. She's more suited for attrition warfare."

"But revenge needs to be witnessed with one's own eyes. The Nvwa Snake is her enemy that killed several of her teammates. I wasn't planning on provoking calamity-level creatures at this stage, but since I promised those two women, it's not good to back out."

Facing the terrifying existences of the mining area is one thing, but when it comes to friends, keeping one's word is another matter altogether.

Akasi gave a wry smile and said, "How long do you plan to keep today's events from them?"

(More later)