Original and most updated translations are from volare. Please don't read elsewhere and stop supporting theft.
TL: Zhao
Editing: Krisaia
'Livestock…' Li Yiming mulled over Wu Yun's words. It had dawned upon him that guardians were nowhere near as glorious as he had initially thought, but he himself never experienced Wu Yun's heartfelt bitterness, since he was not strictly bound by Heaven's Laws.
After some time of chattering, Wu Yun finally left. However, he did leave Li Yiming with another item: the second move of his contained in a glove.
"Give it a try when you feel like you're ready."
Those were Wu Yun's parting words.
'The second move…' Li Yiming looked at the old glove. He knew just how strong Wu Yun's technique was, and he understood that he would most likely be unable to handle the attack. However, as he picked up the glove, he was almost let out a smile.
'Shouldn't have been so careless…' Li Yiming's eyes shone with a silvery glow as he activated his extraction technique.
A flash of light later, the old glove turned to dust and Li Yiming's right hand began to tremble violently. His sleeve was suddenly turned into shreds, but he knew that he had succeeded.
The details about Wu Yun's technique appeared in Li Yiming's mind as he concentrated on his right hand. Out of all the things Wu Yun had considered, he did not think that Li Yiming would be able to reverse-engineer the technique from a simple item.
"Are you okay?" Lin Lu rushed into the tea shop and asked as she looked worriedly at his right hand. She and Eyeglasses had been paying close attention from across the street and immediately rushed in after seeing Wu Yun leave the shop.
"I'm okay." Li Yiming shook his head.
"You've changed a lot." Eyeglasses said hesitantly as he stood behind Chen Jiawang.
"You as well," Li Yiming looked back at him, remembering their first encounter, when Eyeglasses sat exactly where he is.
Eyeglasses smiled as he seemed to be reminiscing the same moment — Li Yiming's reply suggested that nothing had changed.
"I'm sure that you've got to know each other." Li Yiming signaled to Chen Jiawang to prepare some tea.
"Red or green tea?" Chen Jiawang asked with a smile, happy at seeing the two warm up to each other.
"Water please." Eyeglasses sat down first.
"It's been a long time," Li Yiming said.
"To be honest, I don't think this is the right time." Eyeglasses pointed at his own chest.
"Trust me, I'll find a solution." Being able to feel the power of the Heart Trial burning inside Eyeglasses' chest, Li Yiming understood what he insinuated.
"So? what do you need me for? You didn't call me here to take care of your guests, did you?" Eyeglasses went straight to the point.
"There's a soldier in the army who was infected with the vampiric virus," Li Yiming got straight to the point, knowing that he could not afford letting Eyeglasses wait for much longer.
"A soldier? You mean, an ordinary person?" Eyeglasses asked.
Li Yiming nodded.
"Are you sure?"
Li Yiming took a deep breath and glanced at Lin Lu, who was looking in their direction expectantly.
"That's impossible. An ordinary person's body can't tolerate the effects of the virus. He should be dead," Eyeglasses retorted.
"I've seen it with my very eyes. Here's a blood sample." Li Yiming took out a small glass vial.
Eyeglasses froze the moment he opened the bottle: there was no mistake.
"How's that possible?" Eyeglasses was bewildered.
"Can you find a cure for this?" Lin Lu interjected — her heart burned with worry as she was getting closer to knowing the ultimate fate of her lover.
"There is no cure." Eyeglasses gave a blunt reply.
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Li Yiming asked again, feeling that Lin Lu was on the verge of an emotional collapse.
"If there really was a cure, then I wouldn't be…" Eyeglasses sighed as he took off his sunglasses.
"You…" Lin Lu was startled.
"Yes, as you can see, I'm also infected," Eyeglasses smiled bitterly. Having full trust in Li Yiming's judgment of Lin Lu, he answered honestly without reserve.
"Then how come..." Lin Lu scrutinized Eyeglasses. Although his pale countenance resembled her fiance's, she was positive that he stood under the blazing sun just moments ago.
"You've guessed it, I'm no ordinary person." Eyeglasses revealed the truth.
"You can go in the sun?" Lin Lu asked again to confirm.
"How did that soldier…?" Eyeglasses was confused as he was sure Lin Lu's fiance should have died long ago after being exposed to sunlight.
"Two people were infected. One was exposed and the other one was her fiance," Li Yiming said.
"The virus affects all of us in the same way. I'm able to walk under the sun because I have this," Eyeglasses said as he showed the stone which hung by his neck.
"This is the Shadowless Stone, it protects me against the sun."
"Where can I get this?" Lin Lu instantly understood the value of the stone.
"I don't know, I've only seen this one." Eyeglasses peeked at Li Yiming, knowing that he would not have the courage to refuse if Li Yiming was to ask him to hand it over to Lin Lu.
"Can you help me find another stone? I owe her." Li Yiming knew what eyeglasses was thinking.
"Searching for this thing is like looking for a needle in a haystack. We can try our luck at the stone market, but it's going to be unlikely," Eyeglasses did not want to get Lin Lu's hopes up.
"Thank you." Li Yiming decided that he would help Lin Lu until the end. It was not only for the favor he owed her, but he was also curious as to why an ordinary person was able to survive the vampiric virus. As for the stone itself, although the old man from a year ago did die after being cured of his disease, the very fact that he was cured meant that the guardian equipment did have a potent effect.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I need to leave…" Eyeglasses stood up.
"I'll find a way," Li Yiming wanted to tell his friend to stay, but he knew full well that he could not do so without further endangering him.
"We all miss you," Eyeglasses said as he walked back.
"Tell them I'll be looking for once I find a way."
Eyeglasses picked up the blood sample and hurried toward the exit. In a room far away, the Qing sisters exchanged a glance as they finished listening to the conversation. One had a radiant smile while the other seemed worried.
"So he's not blaming us," Qing Qiaoqiao let out a long sigh of relief.
"I was never worried about that. I'm more concerned with that blood sample…" Qing Linglong said as she pondered over the new piece of information. During the past year, she had almost grown sick from worry and constantly thought about how to solve the impasse they were facing.
"I think that we're neglecting something important," Eyeglasses mumbled as he paced away from the tea shop.
"Come back as quickly as you can, I'll notify Big Beard right away," Qing Linglong said.