Chapter 77: Growth

Chapter 77: Growth
Translator: TYZ Editor: Book_Hoarder
"Hong Xian!" the remaining man yelled in anguish.
"I am going to kill you!" the man roared. Following which, he surged towards Shan Wanshui like a comet.
His posture looked somewhat like Long Wanli's but his aura wasn't up to par.
A streak of sword gleam flashed across the air.
"It's only the sixth move." The huge man stood with a saber in his hands.
Following which, he burst out in laughter.
The huge man's sword moves weren't gaudy at all. Every move was powerful and fast like lightning. His opponents could not ward off a single attack from him.
"Commander is mighty!" Cheers broke out in the surroundings. No one was concerned with the deaths of the three people, appearing as though this was a common occurrence.
Ren Baqian looked on helplessly as the three persons died without even their corpses intact. The first person was vertically split into half, the second person had her lower body cut off from her waist onwards, and the third person had his upper torso diagonally severed from his lower torso.
Blood, internal organs, and severed limbs were strewn all over the ground.
After the second man had died, the woman continued to drag her half-severed body across the ground while howling in anguish. Out of the three persons, her death was the most miserable.
This cruel scene sent a cold shiver down Ren Baqian's spine. At the same time, his stomach churned out of disgust.
Previously, Long Wanli had been struck to the ground with a single move from the empress. By the time Caretaker Shi used the stun baton to jab Ren Baqian, the hole that Long Wanli's corpse was in had already been filled up.
The outcome of that duel was decided in a split second. Ren Baqian couldn't see clearly what exactly happened during the duel. He could only see Long Wanli's surging figure.
Ren Baqian felt pity for Long Wanli after knowing he had died, but he was still excited about seeing duels between real experts.
However, right now, all Ren Baqian could see was a bloody brutal battle.
When compared to the duel between Long Wanli and the empress, the shock and horror he felt from the direct observation of this barbaric massacre was unparalleled. This might actually be the first time he felt this way.
He always felt that he was very far away from death. Even though he almost lost his head when he had just arrived in this world, he was eventually safe and sound. This alienated him from the notion of death.
However, it was different this time around. A bloody massacre was taking place in front of him now.
This made him realize that this world was much more brutal than he expected.
Just as Ren Baqian was standing in a daze, the soldiers were already cleaning up the scene. They dug a hole under the shattered flagstone and threw the severed bodies, limbs, and internal organs into it. Then they began to fill it up. Within a short period of time, the hole was filled in. Subsequently, a stonemason came over and placed a flagstone over the filled-up hole.
Eventually, those soldiers left and the onlookers dispersed, leaving Ren Baqian alone there with cold hands and feet.
After some time, Ren Baqian dragged his heavy feet back to the beast park.
Gungun and Tiantian had already fallen asleep lying on the ground.
Ren Baqian lay on the bed. His mind was in a complete mess. Various images kept on flashing across his mind.
Suddenly, a terrifying scene of him being decapitated like those three people appeared in his mind. That scene suffocated him, causing him to abruptly sit up from his bed.
Within seconds, beads of perspiration cascaded down his forehead.
"No… No matter what, I can't end up like those three people," Ren Baqian muttered to himself.
"This is not Earth, this is another world. It is not safe like Earth. In this place, human lives aren't considered precious at all. Human lives are taken as though they are worthless."
"From today on, I can't idle anymore. I have to work harder and climb higher in rank."
"I will be safe only when my position is high enough that no one can touch me."
"The higher my position, the more important and safer I will be. Only then will the threat of death stay far away from me."
"I have the backing of a world that is much more advanced and civilized than this place. I can't be muddleheaded anymore and leave my life in others' hands."
"If it's possible, I want to be more powerful as well."
Countless chaotic thoughts ran through Ren Baqian's mind. Eventually, all of them converged into one idea, that was, to become more powerful and climb up in rank. Doing these would provide him safety and security. Only then could he lead a peaceful life in this world.
Even though he had such thoughts in the past, he had never before treated them so seriously like now. Right now, he was unusually determined.
As an ordinary young man that occasionally daydreamed, the brutal side that had been suddenly displayed by this world had crushed his innocence.
He felt that what he had done so far was too little. It simply wasn't enough. Ever since he had established a foothold and gotten rid of the threat to his survival, he began to relax.
He had underestimated this world.
After tossing about in his bed for an unknown amount of time, he fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, he was woken up by someone knocking on the door.
He hadn't had a good sleep last night. Even after he fell asleep, those scary scenes occasionally flickered though his mind, transforming into a nightmare.
At this moment, as he woke up, he realized he was drenched in sweat.
He picked up the bowl of water beside him and downed it. Then, he got up from his bed and opened the door. He opened the door and realized Caretaker Shi stood outside.
"Why are your face so pale?" Caretaker Shi asked with curiosity when he saw Ren Baqian's visage.
"I might have caught a cold last night."
"Your body is too weak." Caretaker Shi chuckled.
"The people from the imperial kitchen asked you to go over when you're free."
Ren Baqian nodded his head and replied, "I know, I will go over today after I'm done with my work at the Honglu Bureau."
"Brother Ren, you can go over whenever you're free." Caretaker Shi waved his hand and turned around to leave.
Ren Baqian watched on as Caretaker Shi left. Caretaker Shi treated him the same way as before, but he felt something was amiss. His mindset had changed.
Aboriginals had a gentle side, a straightforward side, and a cute side to them. However, they also had a brutal side to them. This was what Ren Baqian felt.
After washing up, Ren Baqian picked up his official robe and looked at it. This was his means of survival.
After putting on the robe, Ren Baqian left the beast park. As he walked past the plaza, he could smell that the air still reeked of blood.
However this time around, he no longer felt shocked or terrified.
When he reached the Honglu Bureau, he picked up Three Hundred Song Poems and started to recite the poems in it.
After a while, he felt tired and went to the backyard to look at those people from the Honglu Bureau practicing their martial arts. Xiong Pi was still playing with that 3-ton-heavy rock.
No one came to the Honglu Bureau for the entire day. Mister Emptiness and Ning Caichen, who had arrived yesterday, did not create any troubles for him either. Ren Baqian felt very happy that he could stay inside his room the entire day.
Soon evening arrived, and it was about time for Ren Baqian to knock off. After notifying the people at the Honglu Bureau, he headed towards the imperial kitchen in the palace.
By the time Ren Baqian arrived at the imperial kitchen, the imperial kitchen had already sent the empress's dinner to her. Everyone in the imperial kitchen was resting. When they saw Ren Baqian arrived, they greeted him one by one.
"Brother Ren!"
"Brother Ren!"
The yells that filled the air turned chaotic.
"Where's Caretaker Gou?" Ren Baqian smiled.
"He went to send dinner to Her Majesty, he should be back soon," someone immediately answered.
Ren Baqian nodded his head and continued, "He wants to find me because of Her Majesty's birthday banquet, right?"
"Brother Ren, Caretaker Gou hopes that you help us to prepare some dishes. After all, we have barely just familiarized ourselves with those spices of yours. Her Majesty's birthday is around the corner, and we have no time to slowly experiment with the spices."
Ren Baqian nodded his head and found a place to sit down, waiting for Caretaker Gou to come back.
After a while, Caretaker Gou came back to the imperial kitchen. When he saw Ren Baqian, his face twitched as he called out, "Brother Ren."
"Forget it, you can call me Storyteller Ren in the future. This is my current position in the palace," Ren Baqian waved his hand and said. "Calling me 'Brother Ren' seems embarrassing for you, I don't want to make things difficult for you."
To Ren Baqian's surprise, Caretaker Gou glared at him and said, "Do you think I'm someone that will go back on my words?"