Chapter 2

"Who are you really?"

Li Xiangdong asked. As soon as the words were out, he felt a bit regretful. After all, he was the only one on the playground, and talking to himself made him look a bit crazy. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to him at the moment.

"Hehe, kid, don't speak out loud."

"Then how do we communicate?"

This time, Li Xiangdong spoke in a low voice.

"You don't need to speak; just think with your mind."

"Then aren't you in my mind?"

Li Xiangdong was so shocked that he almost jumped up.

"Don't be nervous, kid. I'm just in your divine consciousness."

The person still spoke in a leisurely manner.

"Who are you really?"

Li Xiangdong looked around. His strange behavior hadn't attracted anyone's attention, so he sat down. This time, he was smarter and didn't speak out loud.

"Haha, look at the bracelet on your wrist. I am that bracelet."

"What? How is that possible?"

Li Xiangdong almost jumped up again, but he quickly held back and began to seriously examine the bracelet on his wrist.

He had found this bracelet a while ago when he was cleaning the old house. It wasn't made of gold or silver, and he didn't know what material it was made of. However, he liked it and put it on his wrist. He never expected that it would be talking to him today.

"Hehe, kid, it's not your fault. After all, I've been asleep for quite a while. If it weren't for the Jiaoli Holy Blood in your body awakening me today, I might still be sleeping. I don't have much time, so I'll keep it short. My name is the Pillar of the Sea..."

"Phew, you're the Pillar of the Sea, and I'm the Golden Cudgel?"

"Heh, kid, don't interrupt. Do you want to listen or not..."

At some point, Li Xiangdong's initial nervousness had gradually relaxed, and he began to communicate normally with the 'bracelet.'

"Alright, continue..."

Since he had already encountered a talking 'bracelet' today, Li Xiangdong felt that anything else the 'bracelet' might say wouldn't surprise him anymore.

"I... I don't know how I ended up in your ancestors' hands, but I did fight alongside your ancestors for a while. I can be considered an old friend of your family. However, after a great battle, I was severely injured and fell into a deep sleep. It wasn't until today, when the Jiaoli Holy Blood in your body awakened me..."

The bracelet's story was vague and many details were unclear, but Li Xiangdong could basically guess the general idea.

He had heard stories about his ancestors from his grandfather. It was said that during the dynasty era, his family had been a lineage of constables for generations.

Some of his ancestors were even famous in the Six Ministries in the capital, solving many major and mysterious cases. However, in the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, for some reason, many family secrets and treasures were lost, leading to the decline of the family.

Li Xiangdong remembered that his grandfather used to tell him many ghost stories and mysterious tales, but when he was young, he treated them as children's stories. Later, when he grew up and thought back, he just smiled.

In this vast world, how could there be such things as ghosts and gods? After that, he never took the stories his grandfather told him seriously.

However, after encountering this talking 'bracelet' today, which claimed to be the 'Pillar of the Sea,' Li Xiangdong felt that his worldview had been completely overturned. Many things he had never believed in before now seemed possible and acceptable.

"......Hehe, I never thought that the descendants of my old partner would fall to such a state. The descendants of the Jiaoli Holy Blood and the holy lineage of Chiyou have actually come to this..."

The 'bracelet' smacked its lips, muttering something, while Li Xiangdong's mind was in a daze.

"Wait, senior, what did you say? Jiaoli Holy Blood, descendants of the holy lineage of Chiyou, what's going on?"

"Ah... cough, cough... If I were to explain, it would take a long time. I don't have much time. This time, I was awakened by the Jiaoli Holy Blood in your body, but your bloodline is impure and seems to be sealed. The energy you can provide isn't enough, so I will soon return to my original dormant state. If I want to explain everything clearly, it would take a long time, but I don't have that much time. Do you understand?"

After the 'Pillar of the Sea' said this, Li Xiangdong seemed to understand. His family's bloodline was indeed extraordinary, but it was sealed. No wonder he had been weak and sickly since childhood, and no matter how much he trained, he couldn't improve.

"You are the descendant of my old partner, and thus my junior. This time, I will help you no matter what. However, I don't have much time. Kid, I will imprint some cultivation methods and ways to break the seal in your mind. You will have to cultivate on your own. How far you can go depends on your own insight and talent..."

As soon as the 'bracelet' finished speaking, Li Xiangdong felt a dizzying sensation in his mind. Then, many pieces of information and images flowed into his mind, causing a sharp pain in his head...

After a long while, the intense pain gradually subsided, and Li Xiangdong slowly recovered. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was already dark. He had been sitting on the playground for the entire afternoon.

"Senior, senior..."

Li Xiangdong tried calling out in his mind, but there was no response. However, a few lines of text suddenly appeared in his mind.

"Kid, my divine power is exhausted, and I must fall back into a dormant state. However, don't worry. When your cultivation reaches a certain level, we will meet again soon..."

Li Xiangdong looked down at the bracelet on his wrist. It was heavy and black, with a dark luster. It didn't look like the grand and noble Pillar of the Sea, but he still reached out and firmly gripped the bracelet. This bracelet had opened the door to a new world for him.

Thinking about the glorious past of his family that his grandfather had told him, he clenched his fists tightly. As a young man, he couldn't help but be filled with longing for such a world.

"Xiangdong, you're still here."

A clear, lark-like voice suddenly rang in his ear. Li Xiangdong looked up and saw Ling Shuang'er standing not far in front of him.

Their police academy usually had strict military management, and students were not allowed to leave the campus, whether they were from the city or from elsewhere. Only on weekends were they allowed to go out.

So many local students would choose to go home, while out-of-town students would choose to go out and enjoy themselves on weekends. Therefore, by Friday evening, the school was usually almost empty.

Li Xiangdong was a local from Huanghai City, so he usually went home every weekend. However, because of what happened in the afternoon, he left later today.

Seeing Ling Shuang'er standing in front of him, Li Xiangdong felt a bit lost.

Putting aside the oaths their fathers made years ago, he and Ling Shuang'er had at least grown up together. However, as the social status gap between their families widened and they moved away from the old courtyard, their relationship gradually faded.

But over the years, they still had some emotional foundation, which was why Li Xiangdong had willingly been Ling Shuang'er's backup for three years after college.

Although he knew that the Ling Shuang'er of today was no longer the Shuang'er of the past. She had changed, becoming more playful and enjoying the feeling of being pursued, and being pampered by boys.

Li Xiangdong didn't take these things too seriously because he felt that a girl, especially one like Ling Shuang'er, had every right to enjoy such attention.

However, he never expected that she would cause such trouble for him because she couldn't handle her own mess.

Thinking about this, Li Xiangdong's heart gradually turned cold. He had given his heart to her, but she had only treated him like a trash can. Such a life was no longer necessary.

Ling Shuang'er looked at Li Xiangdong standing opposite her. He seemed so unfamiliar, his eyes cold, without the warmth of the past. Her heart felt as if it had been squeezed.

Although he was usually a negligible presence in her life, the moment she was about to lose him, she suddenly felt a bit regretful.

"Xiangdong, I'm sorry. I didn't expect Lu Jian to act like that."

"Hehe, it's fine, it's all in the past, isn't it?"

Ling Shuang'er's eyes suddenly lit up. Did he forgive her? But Li Xiangdong's next words made her shiver.

"However, Ling Shuang'er, I have something to tell you. Beauty may have privileges, but a nobody also needs respect and human rights."

With that, Li Xiangdong turned and walked away without looking back.