CHAPTER 212: REMOVING THE FRAGMENT OF CONSCIOUSNESS (PART 2)

Chapter 212: Removing the Fragment of Consciousness (Part 2)

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Silence fell over the room as Old Han contemplated Zhu Rong’s words.

Losing that weapon’s consciousness didn’t really matter much to him. He had come this far in life mostly through his own strength, he hadn’t needed that weapon’s help before, nor did he need it now.

But more importantly, he had long stopped caring about it, or rather, he’d stopped after leaving his family.

So losing it wasn’t that big of a deal to him.

That said, knowing it wasn’t just a matter of losing it, but that his family would never recover it again, was a whole different story.

He might not care much, but his family would, and knowing them, he was sure they’d lose their minds if they ever found out.

Even so, he had cut ties with them a long time ago, and it had been years since he’d last bothered to learn anything about their situation. He couldn’t really imagine how they would react.

But then again, did it even matter anymore?

Would his family’s reaction at this point really be something he should worry about?

Perhaps once it might have been a problem, but now that he was about to reach the rank of Grandmaster, who in the entire empire would dare trouble him?

All the more so for the young man before him.

He knew the boy was talented, not only in various crafts but also in cultivation. The last time they met, he could already tell Zhu Rong had surpassed him, most likely at the fourth stage.

Now, seeing him again, he could feel that the young man’s presence had grown even deeper, even more unfathomable.

He had no idea what had happened to him in the meantime, but one thing was clear, Zhu Rong had become far stronger than before.

So there was no point worrying about their business or anyone’s safety.

In short, whatever reaction his family might have wouldn’t change much for him.

There was very little they could do, in fact, there was nothing they could do, even if they were to find out that the weapon’s consciousness had been permanently lost.

"I understand. As far as I’m concerned, you can do whatever you want with it. It never truly belonged to me anyway, nor did I ever really care about having it," he said, giving his consent.

Zhu Rong nodded with a smile.

"Good. In that case, we can proceed right away."

Hearing that, Old Han couldn’t help but ask,

"Right here?"

He didn’t know exactly how Zhu Rong planned to extract that fragment of consciousness, but for something of that level, he assumed it would take a while. Why do it here, when there were better places for such a thing?

"Don’t worry, it’ll be quick and painless, you won’t even notice it," Zhu said.

Before Old Han could say anything else, a beam of light appeared beside him, revealing the elegant figure of Yuan Lan.

Seeing her appear out of nowhere, Old Han almost jumped from his seat, but quickly composed himself as he examined the calm and graceful woman before him.

He had no idea who she was, but a thought soon crossed his mind, and he couldn’t help but glance at Zhu Rong with an approving look.

"Not bad, boy. Not bad at all," he said with a nod.

Seeing that, Zhu Rong could only shake his head, about to explain who she was, but before he could, someone else spoke first.

"Hm, the master does have good taste," Yuan Lan said with a faint smile. "After all, he worked quite hard to have me."

Hearing her charming voice, Old Han smiled and nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with what he heard.

Zhu Rong: "..."

"Haa... anyway, this is Yuan Lan, an old friend and travel companion of mine. She’ll be the one extracting the fragment of consciousness from you," Zhu Rong said before the two could continue any further.

Hearing that, Old Han nodded and returned to a serious expression, waiting for them to proceed. He still had no idea how exactly this would work, surely they didn’t need to open his head or something, right?

"Hey, speaking of extraction... how exactly do you plan to do that?" he asked hesitantly, as several unpleasant scenarios flashed through his mind.

Sensing his thoughts, Yuan Lan decided to answer this time as she approached.

"Don’t worry. Just stay still for a moment, I’ll be done in no time," she said softly.

Although still a little uncertain, Old Han nodded and did as she said, calming his mind and sitting quietly as he waited.

Yuan Lan didn’t make him wait long.

Approaching him, she placed her right index finger on his forehead. A faint golden glow spread from her fingertip, seeping into his brow.

As it did, Old Han felt a wave of warmth spread through him, but it wasn’t a physical sensation. It was deeper, almost as if his very soul was reacting to it.

It was a strange and new experience, and before he could even process it, he suddenly felt another presence intertwined with his own soul, something that had always been there, hidden.

He immediately realized what it was, but before he could focus on it, that thing was torn away from him and drawn out in an instant.

By the time he came back to his senses, only three seconds had passed since it began. He opened his eyes to see Yuan Lan already standing beside Zhu Rong again.

She was holding something in her hand, a small sphere made of countless thin threads of light, tightly woven together like a ball of yarn.

The sphere pulsed softly, and he could feel something inside struggling to break free, but failing to do so.

"That’s..."

"Yes, the fragment of that weapon’s consciousness," Zhu Rong said, understanding his unspoken question.

He turned to Yuan Lan, who handed the sphere to him. Zhu Rong examined it for a moment, then nodded to himself as if confirming something.

’I wonder if she’ll like this gift,’ he thought.