Chapter 55: Return to Fire Mountain
Hearing that it was a question about cultivation, Franklin spread his hands helplessly.
"Sorry, Master Roshi. I'm still just a half-baked cultivator myself. I follow the standard methods, and as for breaking through physical limits—there's not much advice I can give.
I don't even understand how you can have so many levels of Qi Refining. For me, once I reached the tenth level, the only way to advance was to establish my Foundation.
Right now, I really can't help you. But once my cultivation improves and I gain some insight, if I have the ability, I'll definitely help you overcome this bottleneck."
The Turtle Hermit let out a deep sigh. "You can't help either, huh? Forget it. I'll accept that. But I'll remember this promise—don't think you can back out of it."
As he spoke, the Turtle Hermit went back inside and started rummaging around. "Hey, Old Turtle, have you seen where the Banana Fan went?"
"Uh… wasn't it… used to prop up the hot pot last time?"
Hearing that reminder, the Turtle Hermit suddenly froze. "Ah! Right, the last time we had hot pot, the soup splashed everywhere. The fan got filthy, so I threw it out! Oh no, oh no…"
Franklin wasn't surprised. He was planning to learn the Turtle School Kamehameha anyway, and if the Banana Fan really existed, he'd have made sure to bring the Turtle Hermit along regardless.
"There's no other way?"
"No. I'll have to go there myself."
The Turtle Hermit slowly walked outside and shouted toward the distant sky, "Flying Turtle! Come out!"
As his voice echoed through the air, a turtle shell appeared from nowhere, flames jetting from the holes around it as it slowly descended in front of the Turtle Hermit.
"Master, you called for me?"
"Do you know where Fire Mountain is?"
"I do."
"Good. That makes it simple. You're Franklin, right? I'll just call you Brother Franklin from now on. I'm taking this guy to get there—how do you plan on going?"
Seeing that the Turtle Hermit was ready to leave, Franklin didn't waste time. Sitting cross-legged, he took out a spirit stone and began rapidly replenishing his depleted spiritual energy.
"Master Roshi, you go ahead. I can teleport, but I've used up too much energy. Once I recover, I'll depart immediately—and I'll probably arrive before you."
The Turtle Hermit nodded calmly. "That's a convenient ability. No wonder you suddenly appeared on my island. Alright, I'll head out first."
As he spoke, the turtle shell soared into the sky and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
——
Right after Franklin teleported away, his phantom double rose from the ground. Its sudden appearance startled everyone.
"Franklin? Is that you?"
Hearing Bulma's question, the phantom Franklin nodded, then pointed at his mouth and shrugged helplessly.
"You can't speak? What happened to you? Didn't you say you were going to find the Turtle Hermit?"
Seeing Bulma's worried expression, the phantom Franklin didn't bother to explain. He stepped forward, and as Bulma gasped and tried to move away, his hand passed straight through her body.
"So you're a hologram? Or just a shadow projection?"
The phantom Franklin nodded again.
"You're controlling it yourself?"
Another nod.
Seeing that Bulma wanted to keep asking, Franklin raised his hand to stop her, then pointed at the Ox Demon King and Son Goku. When her gaze shifted toward them, the phantom Franklin slipped into her shadow.
Three hours passed in a flash. After greeting Old Turtle, Franklin's phantom vanished—and the real Franklin appeared right behind Bulma.
Feeling everyone's eyes suddenly on her, Bulma felt uneasy. When she looked closer, she realized they weren't looking at her, but at something behind her.
"Franklin! You're back! I thought there was something scary behind me."
When she saw his pale face, Bulma stopped joking. She hurried over and helped steady him.
"What happened? Weren't you just with the Turtle Hermit? You look like you've totally overdone it!"
Franklin was too tired to argue with her phrasing. After taking out a spirit stone and restoring some energy, he finally felt a bit better.
The phantom form was convenient—it could go anywhere instantly—but teleportation consumed an absurd amount of spiritual energy. Now that his physical body had grown stronger, the energy drain was even worse.
Even though Franklin had recovered about sixty percent of the spiritual liquid in his Qi Sea, that single teleportation had nearly emptied it completely.
"I'm fine. Just used too much energy on the teleport. I almost didn't recover."
"As long as you're okay. So, what about the Banana Fan? Did you borrow it from the Turtle Hermit?"
Franklin shook his head. "Master Roshi threw it away."
At that, the Ox Demon King panicked, his voice almost trembling. "It's over! My castle! My treasures!"
Already exhausted, Franklin found the booming voice grating.
"Shut up. Master Roshi is coming himself. You'd better be ready to explain why your reputation's so terrible. If you were my disciple, I'd have smacked you dead already."
The Ox Demon King froze, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead.
"I'm back! Uncle Ox Demon King, I brought your daughter too!"
Hearing Goku's shout, everyone looked up. They saw the Nimbus Cloud approaching—and behind it, a flying turtle shell carrying the Turtle Hermit.
Before they even landed, the Ox Demon King dropped to his knees with a thud, bowing deeply toward the Turtle Hermit without a word.
When they touched down, the Turtle Hermit walked up to him, face solemn.
"So, you still know guilt? After all these years away from me, you've done whatever you pleased around Fire Mountain. I heard you've killed a lot of people?"
At that, sweat rolled down the Ox Demon King's temples and hit the ground.
"Master, I was wrong. Those people tried to steal my treasures, and I… I went too far. I know my mistake. I swear I won't do it again."
Hearing that excuse, the Turtle Hermit sighed. Looking off to the side, he saw the Ox Demon King's daughter constantly trying to get close to Goku, then turned back to him.
"For the sake of your daughter—and since those people were driven by greed for your treasures—I'll let it go this time. But if I ever hear of you committing evil again, I won't spare you."
"Yes, Master. I understand. I'll change."
Watching the scene, Franklin stayed silent. The Ox Demon King's title as a demonic tyrant wasn't undeserved. If not for his connection to the Turtle Hermit—and the fact that he'd one day be Goku's father-in-law—Franklin, who still hadn't fully merged with this world's timeline, would never have let him off. The things the Ox Demon King had done were nothing short of beastly.
The Turtle Hermit turned back toward Franklin. Their eyes met—and in the Turtle Hermit's gaze, Franklin saw a trace of shame.
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