In front of Zhao Gao, Lin Long didn't dare move a muscle. Sweat streamed down her forehead like rain.
"Heh, Lin Long, have you thought it over?" Zhao Gao asked softly. Like many cultivators, he dreamed of finding a worthy disciple to pass on his skills. If he failed to ascend, at least someone would carry on his legacy. This wasn't unique to cultivators—craftsmen, farmers, even nobles all shared this desire for a successor. That's why people always said things like "hope the son becomes a dragon, the daughter a phoenix."
But Lin Long didn't dare answer.
"Maybe I can answer for her." The air in the tatami room twisted, and Liu Nono appeared, still wearing a simple dress that looked completely out of place.
"Hm?" Zhao Gao's eyes narrowed. A girl teleporting in—her talent was even higher than Lin Long's. He couldn't see through her at all. "Who are you? Give your name."
"I'm Liu Nono. Are you going to ask me to be your disciple too?"
"Excellent! You're even more gifted than Lin Long. If you're willing to be my disciple, I'll teach you everything I know," Zhao Gao said, his eyes gleaming.
But Liu Nono just studied him calmly. "Your cultivation is decent, but you've clearly gone astray. The conflicting forces inside you guarantee you'll never reach mastery. If you could settle down and train for a few decades, you might still achieve something," she said bluntly. "So, no thanks."
"You!" Zhao Gao was stunned by how sharp her gaze was—she'd seen right through him. "Impressive!"
"Of course I'm impressive," Liu Nono shot back. "Looks like you're also after the Jiulong Bagua Qixing Pagoda. I want it too, but there's only one. Why don't you respect your elders and hand it over to me?"
What a girl! Zhao Gao burst out laughing. "You've got guts. I like your straightforwardness. But I need what's inside the pagoda. Even if you're young, we still have to respect who got here first."
"You're after what's inside?" Liu Nono thought for a moment, remembering that in the future when they found the pagoda, it was empty. "I just need the pagoda itself. You want what's inside. Maybe we can work together."
"Oh?" Zhao Gao's interest grew. 'Why weren't there such interesting kids back in the Qin Dynasty?' he wondered.
"Since we haven't even found the pagoda yet, why don't we join forces until we do? Then we'll split it—you take what's inside, and I get the pagoda," she proposed confidently, like Liu A'dou reborn.
"Hahaha, well said! I haven't met someone with your courage in a long time—and you're just a kid. Excellent. You're right: we don't even know where the pagoda is. We'll talk ownership once it appears." With that, Zhao Gao turned into a swirl of Midori smoke and drifted out of the room.
Only then did Lin Long let out a shaky breath, looking at Liu Nono with wide-eyed admiration. "I can't believe how fearless you are. Don't you know he kills without hesitation? He can even turn people into Terracotta Warriors—he's a thousand-year-old monster."
"Lin Long-jie, you've already met me, a time traveler from the future. Why be scared of some old monster?" Liu Nono replied coolly. "Anyway, I can see your skills are way too weak."
…Crap. Being told off by a kid even younger than her was beyond embarrassing for Lin Long.
"Alright, I've studied the Yu Yan Notebook, so I know a ton of martial arts. I'll teach you something. What do you want to learn?"
"You know a lot of martial arts?"
"Plenty—more than Shaolin Temple, guaranteed." Liu Nono said proudly. She'd once been possessed by Wang Yuyan, who'd passed on all the martial arts she knew.
"I use a spear. I learned my family's spear technique and inner energy," Lin Long said. In this era, martial arts manuals that included spear techniques and inner cultivation methods were extremely rare. Lin Long's family was one of the lucky ones, and with her exceptional talent, she'd already mastered both spear skills and inner power at a young age, earning a place in Liangshan Outlaw.
Even though it was a family heirloom, the truth was Lin family's spear and inner energy techniques were pretty basic. In ancient times, they wouldn't have been considered anything special. But in modern times, they were top-tier skills.
But Liu Nono was practically a walking martial arts encyclopedia. Spear techniques? "Of course. I've got the 'Breaking Formation Overlord Spear.' It's incredibly powerful—once you learn it, you can smash through formations and cut down enemies, moving freely through armies of thousands."
"That name is awful," Lin Long said, wrinkling her nose. "Do you have something else?" She might've been young, but growing up in Liangshan Outlaw taught her to shop around. This Overlord Spear sounded strong, but maybe Liu Nono had something even better.
"I've also got the 'Drunken Warlord Spear,'" Liu Nono continued. "It's a style related to Drunken Fist and Drunken Sword. The spear strikes are dreamy and unpredictable, strange and impossible to read, killing without a trace."
"I'm not old enough to drink. Anything else?"
"Let me think…" Liu Nono said, frowning. "Very few people in the martial world ever trained with spears because they're hard to carry. There are countless sword, blade, fist, leg, and palm techniques, but spear methods are rare. But the ones I've got are the best of the best."
"Think harder—maybe there's something else?" Lin Long asked hopefully.
"There is! There's a spear style from the Three Kingdoms era—Zhao Yun's 'White Bird Soaring Phoenix Spear.' When paired with the Longdan Jue inner energy, it can be used to fight on the battlefield or in single combat."
"Yes! I want to learn that one!" Lin Long's eyes lit up. Zhao Zilong was a hero to anyone who used a spear, and she was no exception. "Hurry, teach me!"
"You're such a kid," Liu Nono teased, trying to sound mature. She conveniently ignored the fact that she was only eight years old herself, but being possessed so many times by older souls made her act like an adult.
The White Bird Soaring Phoenix Spear struck like lightning and withdrew like a dragon, letting the user take lives in a single move. The Longdan Jue inner energy instilled a sense of great compassion. Zhao Zilong hadn't fought for personal glory, but to protect the people, and his cultivation radiated a noble, righteous aura. His spear techniques were open and direct, combining with his inner strength. As Lin Long started to practice, she felt like everything she'd done before paled in comparison. It was as if everything she'd believed until now had been wrong, and she struggled to continue.
Liu Nono shook her head repeatedly. This Lin Long was definitely not the caring, big-sister figure she'd known in the future.
"Jie, I think you'd better leave Liangshan Outlaw," Liu Nono said. "That organization has no future. Look at you—you're already having a hard time practicing the Longdan Jue. That means your heart isn't in the right place, and it clashes with Zhao Yun's ideals. Remember: the person and the technique must match. Think it over. And if you hear anything about the pagoda, let me know." With that, Liu Nono vanished in a flash—she was clearly used to teleporting instead of taking transportation.
Meanwhile, Liu A'dou arrived in Tokyo. As he wandered the streets, he unexpectedly ran into a familiar face. "Logan?"
"Liu A'dou?"
Neither of them could believe they'd bumped into each other so far from home. They didn't waste time with small talk—straight to drinks. The two friends needed it. Logan was especially frustrated: the love triangle had reached its sad conclusion. Cyclops had left, Jean had left too, and Logan couldn't stand staying at the school anymore. So he'd taken up an invitation to come to Tokyo.
Just as Liu A'dou had predicted, Cyclops had chosen to step aside on his own. But Jean didn't end up with Logan either—she felt she'd betrayed Cyclops, and left the school out of guilt. She even left Logan a note begging him not to come after her. Logan honored her wish, but the heartache was suffocating. Running into Liu A'dou was the perfect excuse to drown his sorrows in alcohol.