One-Eyed Monster

Kadi paced around the Safe House, his patience long worn thin.

Time ticked by—quickly for an observer, yet dreadfully slow for Kadi. Each ’tick’ seemed to stretch into an eternity.

He had no idea what Igor and his companions were up to. They sat with their eyes slightly closed, as if in deep meditation.

However, they remained completely silent, as if fast asleep. Have they been completely lulled into a deep sleep by some hidden Energy of this Slumber Room? Kadi couldn’t help but wonder.

Kadi longed to shake Igor—hard. Only that, he felt, could express the agitation and unease raging within him.

However, a shred of sanity prevailed, and he didn’t rush into action.

After all, his forbearance had allowed him to wait until Joseph awoke. He disliked this soaring hawk, even holding a hint of disdain for him. This was because the hawk had always caught him red-handed in the past whenever he shirked his duties or defied Old Man Kevin’s orders. Thanks to this hawk, he had spent considerable time in the Slumber Room—the very Safe House, this cave, they were in now.

But there was no helping it. He was stuck with Joseph now. And Joseph, despite Kadi’s feelings, was a creature beloved by everyone on Guru Mountain for his affable nature and even temper.

More importantly, Igor and Kuren remained with their eyes closed, showing no sign of awakening.

Kadi naturally had nothing to say to someone he disliked. To prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward, he could only choose to pace back and forth in the moderately spacious area.

This back-and-forth pacing eased Kadi’s inner anxiety and, at the same time, alleviated the awkwardness of the situation—though Joseph hadn’t sensed any awkwardness at all. As they said, the hawk of Guru Mountain always spoke with his eyes.

”Pacing back and forth like that, don’t you get dizzy? Aren’t your legs sore?” Joseph expressed concern after seeing Kadi’s repetitive actions.

”Not dizzy, not sore,” Kadi replied without looking up. He inherently felt a certain aversion to Joseph, so if he could avoid talking to him, he would. If he could be concise, he wouldn’t utter an extra word.

”Alright, I was just asking out of concern.” Joseph felt like he’d offered a kind gesture only to be snubbed, but being a well-regarded individual, he wouldn’t feel bitter over Kadi’s attitude.

Actually, Joseph was more concerned about the two before him. He couldn’t enter the Inner World created by the World Setting Technique; all he could do was continuously channel Spirit Power to Kuren, assisting that rascal in this way.

However—there’s always a ’however’—even though Joseph felt Kuren was perfectly capable of subverting Igor’s consciousness within the Inner World, he still vaguely sensed something amiss.

This anomaly was related to the time. Joseph had seen and experienced the Inner World of the World Setting Technique before. He understood that they wouldn’t stay inside for too long, as Kuren had once mentioned that if one stayed in the Inner World for too long, there was a risk of cultivation deviation…

The time had already far exceeded the usual duration for an Inner World session. Joseph felt a little anxious, but he couldn’t just break open the Inner World Spell and go in to ask what on earth had happened to those two.

So, when Joseph saw Kadi pacing back and forth in the cave, that sense of unease within him amplified uncontrollably. If not appropriately curbed, Joseph might very well fly into a rage. Therefore, to prevent such an incident, Joseph took the initiative to speak to Kadi, reminding him to be patient.

The time is dragging on. What kind of accident could have happened? This is simply incredible, truly unbelievable.

Joseph couldn’t figure out what had happened either. After all, he couldn’t enter the Inner World and hadn’t mastered the World Setting Technique, so he genuinely didn’t understand this matter.

All they could do was wait patiently.

”Hey Kadi, what kind of person is that friend of yours, exactly?” Since direct channels yielded no useful information, he decided to try a different approach, probing from the side.

”Hmm? Why are you asking that?” Kadi looked at Joseph, his mind also churning with many thoughts.

”Nothing, just asking.” Joseph clearly wasn’t a good liar. Kadi’s counter-question made him reveal his hand; it was simply too clumsy.

”No, you definitely have something on your mind.” The more Joseph acted like this, the more Kadi felt something was off. Being secretive definitely meant nothing good.

”Ah, it’s nothing,” Joseph continued to prevaricate.

”Then what are you nervous about?” Kadi pressed, unwilling to let go. One must know, if there was a chance to get back at someone he disliked at an opportune moment, Kadi would never pass it up. Moreover, he had always held a grudge against Joseph, this hawk who could circle in the sky.

Not being able to lie, while a good trait, was a fatal flaw in this situation. Kadi had caught this opportunity; how could he not use it?

However, not everything goes as you wish, and some things aren’t just how you want them to be. For instance, although Kadi could tell Joseph was hiding something, he still didn’t know what it was. He could only harp on the point that Joseph was concealing something.

”Joseph,”—being a monster of Guru Mountain, Kadi would respectfully address Xiso and Old Man Kevin, but he called everyone else directly by their names. This was his habit, and a bad one at that, not likely to change anytime soon—”I know what kind of guy Igor is. But you’ve been hiding things from me, so I don’t want to be frank with you either.”

”I...” Joseph was momentarily speechless.

”You what? Dare you say you have nothing to hide?” Kadi pressed aggressively.

”This...”

”This what? Hurry up and say it! Otherwise, who knows what damned special circumstances might occur!”

”That...” Poor Joseph became incoherent under Kadi’s interrogation.

”Stop dawdling! If you have something to say, just say it directly! It’s not like I’m going to harm you, am I?” Kadi continued to press relentlessly.

”It’s not like that, Kadi!” Joseph didn’t know what to say anymore and could only become exasperated and incoherent.

Seeing this effect, Kadi was very satisfied in his heart. After all, he had managed to make someone renowned for having no temper become exasperated and speechless.

This feeling was even better than a beating; the mental thrill definitely brought more sense of accomplishment than physical pain.

Kadi grinned inwardly. The Fiery Blaze of revenge had been released in his heart. Next, it was time for serious business.

Although Joseph was hiding something, Kadi could still discern what he was worried about.

Since Joseph wants to know information about Igor, then let’s trade it for information of equal value.

Kadi bared his sharp canine teeth, evidently having recovered a little from his previous anxiety.