Chapter 50: Before Leaving
Zhu Zhuqing collapsed onto a sofa, where Ning Rong Rong was resting. Inside the room was also Xiao Wu, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun. Ever since Percy had left, she had been training and practicing to be able to complete her battle armor, which was not easy. She had to be precise with every alloy or part of the armor, especially its core.
The battle armor was not attached to the body per se, but rather to the martial spirit. That way, every time it was deactivated, it would be stored together with the martial spirit within the body. That was why it was so difficult to make and why it needed the owner's blood and soul and spiritual power to create it.
The battle armor Percy gave Hu Liena had the name, but it was a bit more bastardly. It could be attached to her, but it would be stored in the belt, not together with the martial spirit. In this case, it was more like a more complex spiritual tool than an original battle armor.
"You're completely exhausted, Zhuqing," Ning Rong Rong smiled a little. "Master Perseus really has no mercy."
"My master is good, Rong Rong," Zhu Zhuqing frowned a little. "Even if he is harsh with the training, it has had very good effects on me. Soul power and spiritual power have increased by leaps and bounds."
"Zhu Zhuqing is lucky to have a master like him," Ma Hongjun sighed a little before smiling, "By the way, did you see the woman who followed him when he arrived a month ago?"
"Eh… Be careful that Flender hears you, fatty," Ning Rong Rong smiled forcefully this time, imagining the punishment they would give fatty if they heard him. Flender, after all, had his pride, and he really didn't like being compared to other people.
"I think she was a Spiritual King…" Oscar commented, referring to the woman (Artemis). "Although… I think she is in love with Master Perseus."
"I heard from Master that she has known him since he was little."
"Oh… a childhood friend… I now better understand the looks I got as Dean Liu Erlong," the little witch Ning Rong Rong seemed to enjoy the battlefield of other people's love.
"Do you think they will end up together?" Ma Hongjun asked scratching his chin.
"Master has a wife and a son," Zhu Zhuqing frowned and glared at the fat man.
"Does that matter?" Rong Rong asked raising her eyebrows and looking at her friend, "I remember that an elder of my clan has three wives. Furthermore, the Emperor has wives and concubines. Master Perseus is strong and handsome, as well as having a great reputation for spiritual tools."
"My master is not a bastard…" Zhu Zhquing snorted, defending Percy.
"As I said, it doesn't matter," Ning Rong Rong smiled mischievously, "As long as Liu Erlong comes to terms with this woman, Master Perseus might have little to say on the matter, especially if he has any feelings for this new woman."
"Some are so lucky…" Ma Hongjun sighed dramatically before laughing.
. . .
Liu Erlong was sitting in her office, right behind her desk. To one side of her, there was a crib with a baby boy who was curiously looking at his mother while laughing. Percy smiled pleasantly as he looked at his son closely. The little boy had black hair like his parents, but his eyes were green like Percy once had.
Since he left the spirit hall, a few more months had passed and his son was about to turn one year old.
"Percy… When will you leave?" Liu Erlong asked and Percy looked at her for a minute before frowning. While he wanted to stay longer with his new family, he had things to do. He had already reached level 90 and was about to cross over into the rank of title douluo. For some reason, the time it took him to level up was not as long as he had originally expected. In fact, even if he had information and training methods superior to the spirit masters of this era, his cultivation speed should not be as abnormal as what he possessed.
"I'd rather leave tomorrow. It's better to finish this as quickly as possible."
Liu Erlong nodded. She had already reached the rank of level 91 title douluo. But unlike Percy, she had gone up many levels due to her trials of the goddess of love. She knew that her husband had to complete the trials of the Asura god if he wanted to become a god. And right now he had already completed the trial of obtaining all of his spirit bones. And when he reached the level of title douluo, he would complete another trial.
She had already gone through that same trial a short while ago, and in fact, she only needed two trials to complete the trials of the goddess of love. And while many had to do with the level of power, several others had to do with the concept of love and emotions. These trials were not just about understanding the concept, but also having gone through the seven emotions and also the desires of the human being.
"What about Artemis?" Liu Erlong asked, without much expression on her face. She had already met the former goddess of the moon. To be honest, she didn't feel intimidated or offended by his presence. Just by looking at her he could understand how regretful she was and how much she wanted to be closer to Percy. Bibi Dong also existed, and if what Percy said was true, then so did Gu Yuena, an ancient spirit beast. While Liu Erlong wanted to have Percy's whole heart for herself, and he himself wasn't a man who would ignore his wife's feelings, women could be very intimidating and compelling when they wanted something.
Furthermore, she lived on a planet where things like polygamy were actually not a rare thing. But that didn't mean she would just accept it easily! Liu Erlong could accept these women being with her man and husband, but only if they themselves won a part of his heart and were worthy of him. Liu Erlong would rather kill women who aren't worthy of his husband than let them enter into a polygamous relationship and ruin love.
Percy shrugged a little. Despite what had happened between them, Percy couldn't say that he loved her completely; at least not in a romantic way. The feelings of friendship and the bond they had weren't all that easy to forget. Plus, there was the fact that she had been betrayed as well.
"She can do whatever she wants. I have no intentions of stopping her, but I don't intend to forget things either. Not anymore," Percy said with a small frown.
"What if she decides to follow you to the city of slaughter?" Liu Erlong asked raising an eyebrow.
Percy frowned a little harder and replied, "That would be foolish."
"The city of slaughter isn't for everyone, much less for a woman who was once a goddess like she was. Even if she learned more about humanity, she would end up being swallowed up by the city."
"So?"
Percy looked at his wife for a moment before sighing. His shoulders let go and slumped a little.
"Just... stop her, even if you have to hit her."
Liu Erlong looked at Percy before closing his eyes with a small smile.
"Okay..."
Percy smiled and took his son into his arms. The little boy blinked as he looked at his father before smiling and laughing as he raised his small hand, opening and closing his fingers. Percy laughed a little at little Liu Yijun. Both of them—Liu Erlong and Percy, especially Percy—decided that it would be a little strange to have a surname and first name mixed together. Therefore, their first child would be named after the planet he was born on. If they had another child, then he would have a western name from the planet Earth. Percy had already thought of a few names if they had a second child.
"I hope it doesn't take too long," Percy commented before gently handing Liu Yijun into his mother's arms.
"You don't have to do everything quickly, Percy," Liu Erlong said seriously. "Your next trials aren't that easy. Take your time. We'll be fine. No one will hurt us, especially with Bibi Dong as our backup."
Percy nodded before kissing his wife's lips as he closed his eyes. The kiss was soft, but it lasted for several seconds before they broke apart.
"See you later."
Liu Erlong nodded with a small smile.
Percy left the room without looking back and then walked out of the academy. Artemis was waiting before the doors and they both looked at each other.
"Are you leaving?" she asked.
"Yes..."
Artemis crossed her arms and looked to the side with a frown. Percy looked at her face, noticing how her jaw tensed a little, indicating that she was clenching her teeth.
"You can't accompany me. Don't even dare to follow me on the sly. I'll know."
"Why do you hate me?" she asked, still looking away.
"..." Percy looked at her while raising his eyebrows slightly. His expression was a little relaxed and thoughtful. He raised his gaze and his head, looking at the clouds in the sky.
"Can you see those clouds, Artemis?"
"What?" She looked at him now, confused. But Percy kept looking at the clouds.
"Clouds are always in the sky. Even if there aren't any somewhere, there will be somewhere else. My hatred towards the Olympian gods is like the clouds. Even if at some point I don't think about that hatred, it will always exist," Percy's eyes slowly moved to match Artemis's.
"I didn't know before why I had such a strange feeling towards you. From the time of that quest when Atlas captured you; I didn't understand it at the time, I just knew that I had to help you. Now that I have all my memories, I understand better."
"When I thought about killing the gods, about killing you, it was the same. Something strange rising from my heart, but nothing in my head," he slowly shook his head, "Once again, when I regained the memories of those years, I understood better. But still, that was perhaps worse."
"I'm sorry..." Artemis's eyes rolled slightly to the side before looking at the ground. Her eyebrows were slightly drawn together and her eyes seemed clouded by tears that didn't want to fall.
"I don't hate you..."
Artemis's body froze for a second before looking up, but Percy's next words came through.
"But I don't love you either."
"The reason for my pain and tears towards you was not because of love, Artemis. But because of a dear and close friend. You should know, people like me have few friends, at least when it comes to true friends. You were one. You helped me with that monster, you gave me warmth and happy moments... only for them to be snatched away and, soon after, my world turned upside down."
Artemis listened, but a little bit of calm and more hope sprouted from the bottom of her heart. She never thought that regaining Percy's trust would be easy. In fact, quite the opposite: it would be a very difficult task. But hearing the words 'I don't hate you' from Percy's mouth was reassuring.
"Monsters, gods, training, battles, quests... Death, war, and a cycle that I couldn't see an end to. When I finally seemed to have gotten used to that twisted world, it was completely shattered when that place was thrown at me."
A somewhat hollow laugh came from Percy's mouth. Artemis felt a bit of pain when she heard that laugh. And Percy's expression, was too sad... too exhausted.
"I will never recover from that place. Even now, that I have peace of mind, a wife, a son, and a disciple, I still dream of the days in that place. And every time I remember the moment I was taken to Olympus and see their faces...", Percy stopped as he hissed and clenched his hands into fists, visibly shaking.
"I can't help it; a thrill rises from my heart, imagining the many ways to make those scum that sit atop the world suffer. I want to kill them, Artemis."
"I want to cut their skin, crush their flesh. I want to tear their bodies and spill their golden blood across the ground as they beg for mercy I won't give them. But...", Percy sighed and looked back at the clouds.
"...Every time I imagined some way to kill you, the same feeling rose from my heart," he pointed up with a finger as he looked at her.
"While I don't hate you or love you, the memories and feelings for you can't disappear either, just like the clouds."
Artemis leapt forward and hugged Percy.
"Thank you...", she said shakily. Even when Percy's body froze for a moment at the hug, she didn't let go, she just put more strength into the hug. Percy looked down for a moment before patting her back a few times.
"Just... stay here. The place I'm going to isn't for everyone... Erlong will take care of your stay."
Artemis just nodded before taking a step back. She wiped her tears a bit and let out a sigh. She had been in this place for a few months, she made an effort to get to know Percy's wife, his disciple, and the latter's friends. However, she never expected Percy to open his heart to tell her these things.
Percy looked at her one last time before walking towards the exit.
"Percy!" Artemis stopped him once more and he looked at her.
"I'll accompany you to the place where the person who is giving you his inheritance is..."
Percy frowned and opened his mouth, but then closed it. He understood that she wasn't referring to the city of slaughter.
"You do realize that you need an inheritance for that?" Artemis nodded seriously at the question.
"I know, I understand that. But I want to accompany you, I also want to be by your side when you fight them."
"It's your family."
"Maybe. But honestly, even if I think of them as my family; even when they did what they did, I can't help but want to kill my brother. So, when you're ripping their bodies apart, can you leave Apollo to me?"
Percy snorted before shrugging.
"I hope you don't regret it."
"I won't," Artemis said before smirking and running into the academy, disappearing from Percy's sight. But if she had stayed for another moment, she would have seen Percy's smile.
"An arrow to pierce the sun, huh? I wonder what god would be interested in a girl with that aim," Percy chuckled lightly, thinking of a few possibilities. He knew of some gods that fit Artemis' goals or attributes.
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