Close Combat Mage
chapter-335

“Eh!” Roger couldn’t help but start at Suo Jia’s words. He then lowered his head while pondering what Suo Jia had said. That’s right….a true expert would be able to maintain their mental state like water at any point in time. How could they allow waves to easily billow up? Although that guy’s words were annoying, it wasn’t enough to induce great waves in a person that had cultivated their state of mind to a high enough level. Besides, on what basis could that guy judge if Roger was a coward or not?

“Bang!” Just as Roger was thinking this, a fierce slam rang out. A tall and straight figure proudly appeared there, and after a few glances around, walked over to Suo Jia and Roger with large strides. A wide cloak fluttered in the air behind him as he approached them, rustling in the wind.

Seeing the quickly approaching figure, Suo Jia and Roger stood up excitedly. That’s right…the person that had arrived was none other than their companion that they hadn’t seen in half a year: Xiang Yun!

At the sight of Xiang Yun, who was now even more elegant than before, Suo Jia and Roger couldn’t help but each punch Xiang Yun in the chest with a fist. Xiang Yun didn’t purposely dodge, and instead faced their strikes head-on with a large smile on his face. “Both of you guys came so early, I’d thought that I’d be the first to arrive.”

After they all sat back down, Suo Jia smiled and sighed in admiration as he looked at Xiang Yun and said, “You rascal, you didn’t even look at what time it is, and you still thought you’d be the first to arrive. I’ve already been here for over an hour!”

As soon as Suo Jia finished speaking, that thick and sturdy warrior at the table next to them spat at them in disdain, “Hmph! You’re even wearing such a large cloak…f*cking hell…you must really think of yourself as some chivalrous hero! I think it’d be more accurate to call you a shrimp instead.” (TL: This is a pun. Chivalrous hero = 大侠 (da xia), which shares the same phonetics as 大虾 = shrimp)

“Hahahaha….” In coordination, the warrior’s five companions all laughed heartily, their laughter filled with contempt and derision.

Even idiots would know who these guys were talking to. After all…in the entire inn, it seemed as if only Xiang Yun was wearing such a large cloak. Moreover, he was the closest one to these guys, and he’d also just entered.

In response to the ridicule, Xiang Yun smoothly picked up a cup and poured himself plenty of wine as if he hadn’t heard them at all. After lifting his head to finish it, he lazily looked at Roger and said, “You scoundrel, you’re not bad. If I hadn’t trained with my life, you might’ve really caught up with me.”

In the past, Roger definitely would’ve jumped up at these words and begun arguing without restraint. However…Xiang Yun’s performance just now already completely proved that, at the very least, in terms of training one’s mental state, Roger was inferior to Xiang Yun!

Roger tightly clenched his teeth and ground out in a low voice, “Just wait and watch. There will definitely come a day when I’ll catch up to you, and even surpass you!”

“Hm?” Xiang Yun couldn’t help but furrow his brows at this, and tentatively stretched his hand out to touch Roger’s forehead. He then asked in confusion, “You’re not hot? It doesn’t seem like a fever, unless…you overtrained to the point where you broke your mind?”

“Screw you…” Seeing Xiang Yun’s serious act, Roger grumpily pushed away Xiang Yun’s hand and moodily mumbled, “F*ck, in these past years, I’ve only been focusing on hammering battle skills into myself, and forgot to train my mental state. That’s why…I have to admit now that I’ve already fallen behind you. However, you should watch out; I’ll soon catch up.”

“Mmm…” Seeing how earnest Roger was, Xiang Yun nodded and replied, “That’s right. Actually, I noticed as soon as I met you that, although your aura has become much sharper, you’re still too exposed. Look at Captain, do you see any aura to speak of around any part of his body?”

Roger couldn’t help but turn to look at Suo Jia, and watch as Suo Jia serenely sipped some tea. He then smiled at Roger and said, “Although one’s mental state seems worthless and unuseful in any way, there is a point that is for certain: People with more skilled mindsets will always defeat people with weaker mindsets. As for the reasons behind it, they can be felt intuitively, but cannot be conveyed with words!”

“Haha…” Xiang Yun laughed and replied with a nod, “Actually, it can be vaguely described. Those with stronger mental states are always extremely calm; they can always make the most correct choice at the most appropriate moment. In front of those with weaker mental states, they would never make any mistakes. However, in the reverse situation, those with weaker mental states will always expose openings, vulnerable points that lead to their defeat!”

Suo Jia nodded as well, and he gently placed his cup down on the table. Then…he turned around and looked at the only seat empty on his right side. “In terms of cultivating one’s mindset, I’m sure Nicole has a greater right of speech, right, beloved young Miss Nicole?”

“Haha…” A chime-like laugh rang out in response as Nicole’s body faded into appearance on the empty seat. At the moment…she was lazily resting her upper body on the table while looking at everyone with a happy expression.

“You!” Roger stared at Nicole in shock and said almost fearfully, “My God! When did you get here? Why didn’t I sense it at all?”

“Haha…” Suo Jia chuckled and calmly said to Roger, “This is where the usefulness of one’s mental state lies. A skilled mindset is like water, like a mirror, that can at any point reflect everything around it. On the other hand, you…have always been too impatient. That’s why, even if Nicole purposely exposed any of her vulnerable spots, you still wouldn’t notice them.”

“Yea…” Xiang Yun continued, “In reality, you should’ve been able to sense Nicole when she was sprawled across the table. I only discovered that Nicole because I’d sensed the energy coming off of the table.”

With a gleeful smirk, Nicole proudly stated, “That’s right. If I didn’t purposely reveal any openings, there’d no way anyone could break through my stealth!”

In response to Nicole’s bragging, Suo Jia indifferently picked up his cup, took a light sip, and intoned back, “Nicole, the next time you go under stealth, you must make sure to control your emotions. When you circled around me from the back earlier, I could hear your heartbeat!”

Nicole couldn’t help but flush in embarrassment and mutter, “What, it’s been ages since we have seen each other. Being able to suddenly meet again just makes me excited. If it were anyone else, my heart rate definitely wouldn’t have sped up.”

Suo Jia chuckled and chided, “It wasn’t just your heart beat. You also need to make sure that, aside from when you want to launch an attack, you must not get within 10 meters radius of a target. Take me for example, from the flow of the water elements around your body alone, I can already break through your stealth!”

“What?!” Nicole stared at Suo Jia in disbelief and cried, “What did you say? You mean that once I enter the 10 meter radius from your body, you can sense me?”

Suo Jia glanced at Nicole and nodded. “That’s right, the instant you approached the 10 meter radius around me, the water elements around me had already sketched out your figure. Although I couldn’t see you, I could sense you!”

“Heavens!” Nicole exclaimed in astonishment, “That means no thief can ever dream of assassinating you. After all…stealth can’t actually make someone disappear. And once they reach your side, they’ll automatically be sketched out by the water elements everywhere.”

Suo Jia was just about to provide an explanation in response to Nicole’s praise before that thick and sturdy warrior at the next table finally spoke up again. “F*ck, although those cowards aren’t any good, that girl’s body is pretty nice. If I get to drag her up to sleep with me for a night and properly enjoy her, I’d willingly take ten years off my life!”

“Huk!” At the warrior’s unbridled words, Suo Jia, Nicole, and Xiang Yun simultaneously stood up in a burst of fury. Only Roger remained seated at his spot, staring at the three people in confusion. He internally wondered: hadn’t they just talked about how one’s mental state must be like water from beginning to end? How come these guys were so riled up?

“F*ck it!” Seeing Roger remain seated there like a large statue, Nicole shouted out in anger at Roger before she’d even gotten the chance to yell at the thick and sturdy warrior, “What are you doing?! Someone else humiliated your companion, yet you’re still just sitting there. Are you still a man or not?”

Roger couldn’t help but stand up in response with a bitter smile. Mother of…what did this count as? When he’d wanted to get angry earlier, Suo Jia had said he was wrong, but now, sitting there was wrong again? Exactly what actions were the most correct?

Seeing Roger’s confused expression, Suo Jia sinisterly stated, “Roger, we don’t want you to blindly just endure everything. If the other party’s words and actions aren’t punishable by death, then there’s no need to pay them any mind. But if their words and actions cannot be forgiven, we don’t need to blindly excuse them. If they want to die but worry about there not being any ghosts to drag them to their deaths, then we can just do it for them!”