Sin Becomes a God

Chapter 47: Learning from Each Other?

When Lu Renjia mentioned the name Wesley Gibson and talked about Sloan tampering with the commands issued by the “Fate Loom,” the Russian, who had been frozen in place, was already eighty percent convinced by Lu Renjia’s made-up lies. To prevent this Russian—who was both a mentor and a friend—from meeting a violent end, Lu Renjia even deliberately reminded him to put on a bulletproof vest. After a moment, the Russian looked at Lu Renjia with a stunned expression and gave a wry smile. “Sigh… I thought that guy Sloan’s strongest talent was already outrageous enough, but I never expected yours to be even more mind-boggling… To be honest, I’ve never even heard of a talent like ‘Precognition’… If I didn’t know the whole story, I’d have thought your organization back in China had already infiltrated the ‘Brotherhood’…” Lu Renjia feigned indifference and shrugged. “Maybe that’s what you meant by ‘following your heart’… not letting yourself be blinded by power… I didn’t choose to enhance my strength or speed; instead, I followed my instincts… and that allowed me to see events in the future… By the way, what is Sloan’s strongest talent?” “Sloan, huh? His strongest talent is ‘Resilience.’ You could say that as long as he isn’t shot in the head or has his heart pierced by a bullet… no matter how severe the injury, he can recover in less than a day… Since you’ve seen things in the future, I wonder… have you seen Wesley Gibson and the ‘Cross’ father and son?” Lu Renjia put on an extremely exhausted expression, pursed his lips, and said, “Hey… I’ve only just begun to ‘apply’ it; right now, I can only see scattered flashes… Anyway, the final image I saw was Sloan getting killed… But for the time being, you’d better wear a bulletproof vest… otherwise, you might get shot…” Within the entire “Brotherhood,” only Sloan, as the leader, had advanced the “Assassin’s Heart” to the “Mastery” level. It could be said that Sloan was a mountain looming over everyone else’s heads. Upon learning the final outcome from Lu Renjia, the Russian couldn’t help but let out a long sigh of relief. “That’s good… that’s good…Hehe… Thanks for the heads-up. To avoid getting shot, I’ll even wear a bulletproof vest while taking a shower…” On another note, three days later, when the lively Lu Renjia appeared in the dining hall, the Butcher—who was in the middle of eating lunch—found himself in a quandary. The Repairman was still soaking in the medicinal pool in the infirmary, so the original four-player mahjong game had turned into a three-player game of Landlord. The Butcher, the Gunsmith, and Fox were still occupying a table all to themselves. Lu Renjia walked slowly over to the Butcher, pulled up a chair, and sat down. Ignoring Fox’s still hostile glare, Lu Renjia smiled at the Butcher and said, “Fatso… have you transferred the money you owe me to my card yet? I just called the real estate agent in Shendu… All I need is for you to transfer the money, and I’ll be able to pay the down payment as soon as I get back… You have no idea—property prices in Shendu, Huaxia, fluctuate daily. If I wait even one more day, it’ll probably cost me hundreds of thousands more… I’m planning to buy a school district home; that’ll even solve my kid’s schooling problem…” Listening to Lu Renjia’s rambling, the Butcher felt his head spin. He scratched his greasy hair and forced a smile that looked even more miserable than a bitter one. “Um… um… could you give me a few more days? I’ve invested all my money in stocks…” “Stocks? Holy crap… I never would’ve thought a fat pig butcher like you would know about such high-tech stuff. But that’s not something for us ordinary folks to mess with. I’m warning you, brother—if you don’t have inside information, you’d better stay away… Otherwise, you’re bound to lose everything…”“We have a saying here in China: ‘The stock market carries risks; enter with caution…’ Who knows how many billionaires have gone in only to come out as million-debtors…” Lu Renjia put on the air of a seasoned veteran and began lecturing the butcher earnestly. The Butcher’s face was now a twisted knot of frustration. His claim that he’d invested his money in the stock market had been nothing more than an excuse to begin with, but he hadn’t expected Lu Renjia to go on and on about the ins and outs of the stock market. At that moment, even the usually taciturn gunsmith had had enough. He wolfed down the food on his plate in a few quick bites and hurriedly stood up. “You two take your time… I’m full…” Just as the gunsmith was about to get up and leave, Lu Renjia grabbed him by the arm. “Don’t go… Even though we operate outside the law, there will come a day when we wash our hands of this life… At that point, we’ll be able to live like ordinary people… It’s good to know a bit more about the stock market…” Although the Gunsmith was also a powerful fighter who had advanced the “Assassin’s Heart” to the Application Stage, he had cultivated the “Firearms” talent. Now that his wrist was gripped by Lu Renjia—a top-tier mid-level martial artist—no amount of struggling would free him. Seeing his wrist firmly held and unable to break free, the Gunsmith was itching to draw his gun on the spot. But seeing Lu Renjia’s mocking expression, the Gunsmith suppressed his anger and said politely, “Hey… it doesn’t seem like I’m the one who owes you money… Even if you want to chat with someone, you’ve got to see if they’re willing, right? Please let go… I’ve got a lot of firearms that need repairing…” Lu Renjia shrugged and released his grip. “Go ahead and get back to work… I’ll just chat with Fatty…” Fox, on the other hand, didn’t get up. She continued to eat the food on her plate at a leisurely pace, unaware that ever since Sloan’s speech that day, she had come to view Lu Renjia as a potential threat to the “Brotherhood.” Thus, Fox—who had made the safety of the “Brotherhood” her life’s mission—actually wanted to see what kind of trouble Lu Renjia would stir up. The Butcher, who was growing increasingly exasperated by Lu Renjia’s incessant, Tang Seng-like rambling, felt as if thousands upon thousands of flies were buzzing around his ears. His little finger, as thick as a radish, twitched slightly. Fox, sitting upright across from him, knew that this subtle movement was a sign the Butcher was about to draw his sword. When it came to stock market tips, Lu Renjia talked nonstop, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Butcher was on the verge of exploding. Finally, the veins on the Butcher’s forehead bulged like earthworms, and with a crisp “clang…” a butcher’s knife—the kind used for slaughtering pigs—appeared on the table out of nowhere. “I don’t have any money… but I do have my life!! Speak up! You little Chinese brat!!! What the hell do you want, anyway…” The Butcher’s roar echoed throughout the entire restaurant. Lu Renjia’s smug expression remained unchanged as he scratched his ears, which were still ringing from the butcher’s roar. “Tsk, tsk, tsk… You should’ve said so sooner. If you don’t have the money… we can settle this another way…I’ve heard your swordsmanship is top-notch. Just demonstrate it for me once, and we’ll call it even…” Before the Butcher could reply, Sloan’s distinctive voice rang out, “I recall that Li’s swordsmanship is among the very best in the world. With such a great master at your side, what’s the matter? Are you thinking of joining my ‘Brotherhood’?” Now that the *Nine Yang Divine Art* had advanced to the fifth level, Lu Renjia could finally gauge the true depth of that old fox, Sloan. If what the Russian said was true—that Sloan, having elevated the “Assassin’s Heart” to the “Mastery” level, possessed superhuman “regenerative abilities”—then fighting him would be a losing battle. Aside from a one-hit kill, whether engaging in hit-and-run tactics or a protracted battle,Sloan would undoubtedly be the kind of opponent who wears you down to death. Lu Renjia slowly turned around, looking at Sloan, who was holding a tray and smiling. He shrugged and smiled. “We have a saying in China: ‘One can use a stone from another mountain to polish jade.’ As an exchange student… shouldn’t I learn more of the ‘Brotherhood’s’ advanced techniques? Mr. Sloan, you yourself said that our organization and the ‘Brotherhood’ have shared a friendship spanning over a hundred years…As for what you said about our leader’s sword technique? Ah… his style is far too sinister… it doesn’t suit my personality… so while I’ve mastered it, it still lacks a certain flair when I use it…” “Hehe… that’s right, our two organizations have shared a friendship spanning over a century. But since this is an exchange, shouldn’t you also demonstrate your sword techniques to the Butcher?” Sloan, that old fox, said with a smile. Lu Renjia nodded without hesitation. “No problem… We’re here to learn from each other and improve together…” But inwardly, he thought: “Even if I were to demonstrate every single move of the *Eight Wastes and Six Heavens Sword Technique* to you, you’d just be copying it blindly. Without the *Six Heavens Divine Art* to complement it… what good are the moves alone?” As the leader of the “Brotherhood,” once Sloan had spoken, the Butcher had no choice but to agree in a deep, gruff voice. For Lu Renjia, although the “Eight Desolations and Six Heavens Sword Technique” could deal astonishing damage when combined with internal energy—and could even unleash a sword aura—he couldn’t very well carry around two broadswords over a meter long in the real world, could he? The Butcher’s sword technique, on the other hand, was entirely different—it relied solely on short blades. Not only were all his moves designed to be one-hit kills, but he could even deflect incoming bullets. From this, it was clear that even if the Butcher’s technique wasn’t quite E+ level, it certainly reached E-level martial arts. Seeing the Butcher nod, Lu Renjia chuckled, “Fatso… just enjoy this. Five million to watch you perform your ‘pig-slaughtering’ technique—not even a top-tier Hollywood star commands that kind of fee!” “Get lost!! What do you mean, ‘pig-slaughtering technique’? This is my own original killing blade…” With that, the Butcher pulled out the ox-horn knife that had pierced through the dining table and strode proudly toward the slaughterhouse where he lived. As some of the few elite members of the “Brotherhood,” the Butcher, Fox, the Mechanic, the Gunsmith, and even the Russian each had their own private residences; naturally, they didn’t have to cram in with everyone else. Such were the privileges of the strong. Everyone in the restaurant heard that the Butcher was going to demonstrate his blade technique, so they all rushed over en masse. After all, the Butcher’s blade technique was unmatched throughout the entire “Brotherhood.” It wasn’t something one could easily witness on a daily basis. Even the Russian, who had been sitting in the corner, came over to join the excitement.