C111(2) : The Good News And The Bad News

Hello there, young man ! How goes the supply deal ?" The man asked very casually .

". . . ." Wordlessly, Xuhan started backing away from the door . The man didn't look surprised at his reaction . He stood on the doorstep and observed Xuhan with a calm expression .

"Fang Xie, quit scaring the child !" From inside the residence came Xuan Zi's shout, making Han Xuhan pause in his retreat .

What the hell was going on here ? How the hell did this guy get inside the sect ? And how did he know about the resource supply deal with the Holy Land of Laws ?

As his brain struggled to make sense of the sudden development, Xuan Zi pushed Fang Xie out of his way and beckoned at Xuhan to follow him inside .

"Don't worry, disciple . He doesn't bite ."

"Don't listen to that old fart . Last time I fought somebody, I bit off his nose ."

"Ah...excuse my lack of information this critical, let me correct myself in that case . He does bite, but I'll stop him from doing that for now ."

"For now ?" Xuhan asked Xuan Zi with a great amount of concern .

"I've got some tasks to attend to later today, so yes ." Master Zi shrugged .

Despite the impending sense of danger, Xuan Zi's nonchalance somewhat eased Xuhan's worries . He was a valuable chess piece to the sect master for now . There was no reason for the old fox to suddenly discard him so soon .

Torn between wanting to escape and investigating what was going on, Xuhan decided to choose the latter because if the report he had received on Fang Xie was true, Xuan Zi and Kong Ye were be the only two cultivators who could keep him safe...temporarily . What would be the point of running away from the sect ? He wouldn't even make it past the mountain he was standing on if Fang Xie chased him .

Seeing him slowly walking over toward Xuan Zi's residence, a shadow of a smile crossed the sect master's face ; and Xuhan realized that he had made the correct choice right then .

"Is he dumb or is he that good at playing dumb ?" Fang Xie eyed Xuhan wolfishly while Xuan Zi ushered him inside . Han Xuhan had a good comeback to that, but he decided not to stir the pot of enmity any more...temporarily .

"He's just dumb ," Xuan Zi answered . Xuhan had to swallow another biting insult .

Be the bigger man....Be the bigger man....A gigachad mustn't succumb to oral provocations !
Chanting to himself in order to keep his loose mouth occupied, Xuhan took his seat inside the familar spacious room where Xuan Zi usually entertained his visitors . The sect master and Fang Xie followed suit . The two powerful cultivators faced the weak disciple and entered a meaningless staring contest .

". . . ."

". . . ."

". . . ."

"This is getting awkward . Where do I even start ?" Xuhan said in the end, breaking the silence .

"Well...I've got a good news and a bad news for you, kid . Which one do you want to listen to first ?" Fang Xie replied with an evil glint in his eyes . For some reason, he looked unnecessarily excited to take the lead in the conversation .

"The bad news first," Xuhan said immediately .

"Ah, I see..."

Fang Xie fell silent . Then he looked at Xuan Zi and wriggled his eyebrows . Xuan Zi in turn maintained both his silence and uncannily still posture .

"I really don't like you, kid, if it wasn't clear by now . So I'll obviously do the opposite of what you want me to . GOOD NEWS FIRST !" Clapping his hands together, Fang Xie declared his answer proudly .

Han Xuhan recalled the the information about Fang Xie and mentally drew a big, red circle around the word 'crazy' . But then he realized that a mental action like that would lead to him becoming sympathetic and lessen his suspicion toward the man . There was a good chance that this Fang Xie was the person who had caused the disappearance of the orphanage . Being sympathetic toward him might be a humane point of view, but that could possibly be counter-productive in his quest of unearthing the truth .

Besides, there was another issue that needed some testing....

"Oh ! My bad ! I misspoke earlier . I meant the good news . I was just so nervous being in the same room with cultivators so powerful that I spoke without thinking . My sincerest apologies ! Please tell me the good news first, just like you wanted to ."

Han Xuhan's sudden change of mind came off as petty as he meant it to be . Fang Xie, who had been grinning ear to ear looked like he couldn't believe anyone this childish could possibly exist, while Xuan Zi slowly covered his face with his palm and sighed .

"Disciple Xuhan, you really ought to restrain your incredible conversation skills ."

"Ah ? Sure, sect master . Whichever news the guest wants to reveal first, I absolutely support the decision !" Han Xuhan nodded vigorously . Fang Xie looked almost murderous, his eyes bloodshot and his hands starting to shake visibly .

"Fellow cultivator Zi, how about we just settle our differences in the way I proposed ? This disciple of yours doesn't seem to be the type you usually favour . I'm sure you could replace him-"

"No ." Xuan Zi cut off Fang Xie mid sentence and slammed his palm on a small tea-table beside his seat .
"Get to the point and stop wasting everyone's time ."

Han Xuhan narrowed his eyes as he evaluated the results of his little experiment . It did not seem like Fang Xie was a cultivator equal in terms of power to sect master Xuan Zi . He had at least a grudging sense of respect toward the old man . And that was good news for Xuhan . Had both of them been equally powerful, Fang Xie would be a much more dangerous foe . But despite him pushing the madman's boundaries with his petty antics, Fang Xie had still refrained from acting upon his unfriendly intentions .

"Fine ! The good news it is ! It's very short and precise, just like what your future will be if I get my hands on you . The good news is..."

Han Xuhan waited with bated breath as the man slipped into a dramatic pause .

"I....will not brutally mutilate you to death in the near future like I had planned to when I entered this sect today ."

"That is absolutely balls-to-the-walls awesome ! What's the bad news then ?" Xuhan exclaimed happily and raised both of his thumbs up in order to show his vehement support of this path of action .

"You'll have to accomplish a few tasks for me during the later stages of the upcoming tournament . If you fail to do so, the good news will stop being valid ," Fang Xie said with a shark's smile .