Despite the creepy circumstances, I could not help but be a little excited. Depending on how many times I manage to destroy this staff, I could eventually become indestructible. I visualized bullets bouncing off my eyeball, swords breaking on my neck, and even skydiving with no parachute.
However, before I could become too happy, I noticed an upgrade button after the description of the [Furnace] skill. Deciding that there was little chance of danger, I tapped on the upgrade button.
[Upgrade Quest Triggered!]
[Destroy or break Father's Almighty Rod (Rename?) 10,000 times!]
[Reward: Furnace skill evolution / New skill unlock]
[Current Progress: 0/10,000]
I felt my left eye twitch as the name I tried to ignore once again showed up on the interface.
'The skills are great and the upgrade seems amazing. But that name...' As my brows furrowed, I hit the rename button. After doing so, a holographic keyboard appeared in front of me. I stopped for a second to consider a possible name.
"Dragon Staff? No, too chunni."
"P*wer P*le? Nope, that is copyright."
"Ruyi, no, no, that one is definitely copyright!"
After staring blankly at the screen for five minutes, I relented and just got rid of the troublesome part of the name.
[Change name to "Almighty Rod?"]
I confirmed my choice, and the window faded from view. With the panic and excessive excitement fading, I felt the urge to test out this [Furnace] skill. The possibility of being slapped to death was outrageously higher than in my last life. My memories of a giant golden palm crushing a moutain ran through my mind once again.
"Being slapped to death was definitely not on my bucket list." I muttered as I stood up to leave the bath and test out my new artifact. When I took the first step, I heard a door open to the changing room, followed by hurried footsteps.
"Lord Meng, are you okay?! I heard yelling coming from the changing area. Should I call the guards?" A panicked female's voice of indeterminate age rang out from the changing room. Her voice was loud enough that it echoed throughout the bathing room.
Taking a moment to think of a believable response, I replied. "It's fine; I was just getting some vocal training in." The ridiculous statement passed from my lips with the complete confidence of a professional salesman.
'Seriously, brain! That was the best you could do?!'
My statement hung in the air for a brief second before I heard a reply.
"Lord Ming, you were training your voice?" The woman's voice sounded confused, almost baffled by my words. It was as if she understood the meanings of the individual words, but when put together, they became gibberish.
Rather than feeling awkward or stuttering, I did what I have always done when put on the spot. I doubled down. Hard.
"Of course! As a father, how am I supposed to soothe my son if I sound like a broken tractor when I sing him a lullaby?" I forced passion into my voice and confidently walked towards the changing room.
"T-tractor?" The confused voice of the woman continued. But I continued my offense! Distract them with words they don't know! Don't explain a thing!
"What am I not supposed to sing to my baby boy?!" Finally, I reached the door and threw it open.
I was greeted by a confused-looking woman wearing what I recognized as my maids' attire. White top and bottoms with long sleaves trimmed in gold. The woman appeared young, and her features were average. In her arms were a clean robe and trousers, similar to what I was wearing before my bath. Below the clothes was a large folded towel. I stared directly at the bridge of her nose, giving the illusion of eye contact as I dared her to refute me.
I tracked her eyes in my periphery as they dipped down then hurriedly rose back up. There was a light dusting on her cheeks, but I paid that no heed. My goal was to delay, distract, and deflect!
"I-I-" The maid stuttered, not knowing what to say.
In my imagination, I heard a [Finish Her!], so I played my final card.
"Well?!"
"My apologies, my Lord! The young master would be thrilled to hear you sing for him!" The woman squeaked before shutting her eyes and bowing while presenting the bundle of clothes in her hands.
"Mhmm, thank you." I thanked her and took the clothes from her hand. I was about to speak further. However, before I could say another word, the maid sped out of the room with speed I could barely track.
'Maybe I overdid it a bit.'
A few minutes later I had dried off and redressed myself in the clean robes the maid had brought for me and was tidying up by the mirror when I heard a knock on the door.
'Is it the maid again?'
"Lord Meng, I noticed that your morning bath took longer than usual. Are you feeling alright?" The voice of an older man passed through the door into the room. Unconsciously I felt a smile appear on my face. I recognized that voice from my memories I recently acquired. I quickly tidied the rest of my appearance before heading to and opening the door.
Behind the door was a tall man with short salt-and-pepper hair and beard. The man wore dark green attire. In contrast to his age, his eyes seem to be a mix of a mischievous young man and a doting grandfather.
My mouth moved before I could formulate a response. "Grampa Peng." The manner of address and name felt odd to my brain, but the feeling inside my chest disregarded that. Cao Peng was my steward who once served my father while he was alive. More importantly, after failing to possess a "spirit root" or an "earth root," I have memories of my father appearing in front of me less and less. What I did remember was Cao Peng being there when my father was not.
To my previous self, while his father might have provided for him, it was Cao Peng who raised him. He was the one who corrected him when he misbehaved and taught him to read. So while I know this man primarily through these new memories, it still feels as though I'm standing in front of my father again.
I felt my eyes water a bit before I brought them away. Cao Peng's expression did not change. If he noticed my expression, he thankfully did not give away anything.
"I heard that Lady Meng gave birth yesterday. I wish I could have been there, but I was collecting this month's tax and creating the reports on the city's development." The older man's voice seemed touched with genuine regret. Seeing him like that created a knot in my chest.
"Nonsense. You were simply doing the job I assigned you. You will have plenty of chances to meet little Feng." While speaking I shook my head to assure Cao Peng. I barely noticed when we started walking down the corridor.
"So are you going to let me hear the songs you were planning to sing to the young master?" The man had a teasing grin similar to an elder brother who caught you sneaking a girl into your room.
"Only after I practice a bit more. I have to perform well if I'm going to perform at all." I joked back.
'Trying to embarass me with something on this level? Naive!'
Eventually we came to a stop in front of a set of heavy wooden doors. On the right was a nameplate with symbols on it. For a split second they were incomprehensible before they seemed to squirm and rearrange themself into something understandable.
'Lord Meng's Office'
"Well, I enjoyed our talk, but we should probably get to work now." Cao Peng's grin seemed to get deeper, as if he thought of something humorous. When I saw that smile, a feeling of trepidation filled my gut for some unknown reason. It was as if I were forgetting something.
While I was organizing my thoughts, Cao Peng opened the door, and I was greeted by a large room occupied by bookshelves filled with various books and files. The center of the room was raised and had a desk and chair on the raised portion. The room was arranged in such a way that anyone entering would have to look up to the person sitting at the desk.
However, what drew my attention was none of that. What I focused on was the large stacks of papers on the desk. It was then I knew what the feeling of dread was. It was the same feeling I had in my previous life whenever I showed myself to be a little too competent. The bane of my existence. My body started to feel hollowed out, and I cursed the man beside me, who seemed to find my face humorous.
"Paperwork, huh?"