May I come in
Huang Li pressed his lips together Then he lifted the rag to his collarbone and did his best to wipe away the remaining blood The System meant that his wounds healed relatively quickly but the dried blood stubbornly lingered a sign of how close Huang Li had come to failure earlier today After each of these brushes with failure Huang Li felt his image reinvigorating and reinventing itself to be more aptly poised to seize victory next time but he was rapidly approaching the limit of his strength and potential
This could not continue forever
His shirt was dark so the bloodstains were mostly hidden But it still felt dangerous to allow Huang Shou to come into the bathroom and see his weakness
Huang Li dabbed again with the rag The water was cool on his skin He released a long breath yes you may
The hinges were well oiled the door swung open without a sound Huang Shou stood there with his hands behind his back Huang Li didnÆt turn around but spared a glance for his grandfather in the mirror Then he returned to his task He dabbed for a few more seconds and then twisted the rag in order to squeeze out all of the moisture within it
Still the bathroom was silent Huang Li closed his eyes and centered himself before opening them again and speaking Is there something you need
Huang Shou ignored the question His brow was creased but it was not the rather familiar emotions of rage or disdain that deepened the lines on his adoptive grandfatherÆs face An entirely foreign emotion had taken up residence there It felt like Huang Li had walked up to a familiar restaurant only to realize that the storefront had changed and it was now a clothing store
Huang Li forced himself to release another breath and it was heavy and warm as the casual breath of a dragon If his grandfather wouldnÆt answer then he wouldnÆt press the issue He did his best to mask the sliver of weakness remaining in his body and resumed the act of wiping away his dried blood From his collarbone Huang Li proceeded to his torn and calloused knuckles
Today he had been forced to condense the image of his dragon in his right hand to finish the fight Huang Li had been inspired by the few sporadic occasions that he had seen Randidly Ghosthound manifest his image in those instances his entire body seemed to be replaced by his image And the result was a power that was so pure that it seemed to seep into the surrounding air
Yet the process of Huang Li attempting the same thing had not gone well Probably most of the damage done to his hand was done by himself for improperly utilizing his image It was a humbling lesson To review that lesson before the figurehead of the conservative faction
Well it did not feel like Huang Li deserved
WhenÆs your birthday Huang Shou eventually asked
Huang Li was surprised but didnÆt let it show He lowered his rag and looked at his grandfather in the mirror February 1st
Huang Shou simply nodded The strange standoff continued The air between the two of them was heavy
So Huang Li grimaced and spoke again Why do you ask grandfather
Huang Shou closed his eyes for a second Then he turned away before speaking His shoulders were still as he spoke impossible upright and steady Regardless of ideological differences did you think an old man like me wouldnÆt be moved by the honor you have earned for our Shou Family I will personally make sure you can understand what this means to me
Huang Li was so shocked that he turned around and looked at the back of his adoptive grandfather He was a short and stout man with heavy arms that seemed like they belonged to a hard laborer His style of dress was always loose and casual Yet still those heavy arms seemed so light compared to those shoulders Internally Huang Li had to admit to himself that aside from wanting the Glorious Leaders to step down he didnÆt know much about this man in front of him
Also please be quick Huang Shou walked away from the bathroom The interview will start soon
Chapter 1443
As Randidly walked onto the set he looked around at the lights and electrical equipment that hung over the small staged area where they would be sitting With all the additional equipment and people present the normal sized banquet hall quickly became cramped He knew immediately that he likely wouldnÆt enjoy what was about to happen
A number of individuals dressed in dark clothes were hurrying to and fro bringing cords or carrying clipboards or various drinks but they all stepped respectfully out of the way as Randidly passed amongst them They were extremely obvious about it too Which only magnified RandidlyÆs sense of being out of place here
The citizens of Kharon had a peculiar way of looking at Randidly But ultimately the dominant ideology of the city meant that Randidly was primarily a mirror to the people who followed him They looked at him and saw the best features of themselves willingness to embrace danger ingenuity and independence In the same manner his continued success was a constant reminder that this wasnÆt a perfect outcome That this state of being was shaped by hard working hands and a better future could be found by following this Path
But these people RandidlyÆs emerald eyes slid sideways as the people continued to freeze up and stare at him as he passed There was something worshipful in their gazes They did not in RandidlyÆs mind get the whole point of his message They admired his results not his outlook
Randidly Ghosthound as an individual became the integral component in this grand equation that resulted in his power Rather than focusing on the effort or the time training or the near death experiences Randidly could sense very clearly that these people attributed his success to near unparalleled personal exceptionalism that was present within him
Heh unfortunately that sort of attitude got beaten out of me by Shal very early on Randidly suppressed a smirk after he shook his head when someone offered him a bottle of water But feeling these images I can at least get a good look at why the image from Earth might stagnate
RandidlyÆs gaze finally settled on a woman who fit TatianaÆs description The host of the show was having an extremely rapid and low conversation with a production assistant regarding the quality of the food for this important recording but her expression brightened immediately as she noticed Randidly She threw her sandy hair over her shoulder and walked forward with clicking heels so evenly timed that the woman could have served as a metronome
She offered her hand forward for a handshake and graced Randidly with a curved open mouth full of very white teeth Mr Ghosthound I presume IÆm Amelia Skyne Wow it really is true what they say about you just standing near you feels different haha Please try to control your presence around the staff
Who has been talking about me I wonder Randidly carefully shook AmeliaÆs hand then glanced around at the staffÆ The people who had been awkwardly dragging their feet and listening in to the conversation jumped into the air like they had been prodded with a molten spear Then the only portion of them that Randidly could see was their backs as they hurried away
Randidly turned back to Amelia and offered a wry smile I guess I will keep that in mind Is this where we will be talking
He pointed off to the side at two comfortable looking green love seats were angled slightly apart from one another Considering the fact that there was a woman meticulously shifting roses in a vase on the table in front of them so that they were in the most appealing arrangement Randidly believed that this would be a location that would be broadcast
Amelia nodded enthusiastically Yes Let me know if you have any questions This is your first time on television right Not so easy as just fighting someone huh IÆll try to keep the questions easy and strick to the talking points I discussed with your assistant
Randidly smiled like a wolf He didnÆt release his image at all but he did allow some of the influence from his Nether Nebula to leak outward I think I will be fine
RandidlyÆs training with Nether recently meant that his touch was much lighter than anything he had been capable of in the past He didnÆt use brute force to completely dominate images in the enclosed area of the studio although it would have been relatively simple for him to do so Instead he used that thin disc of Nether to steadily erode the base images of the people around him Randidly wouldnÆt do it for long enough to have a lasting effect but the people of Earth only just discovered images They hadnÆt yet realized how much they rely on them