Chapter 50: Test obsessed old men

The visitor met his gaze. "I don’t care. My truth won’t disappoint you."

The librarian studied him for a long, uncomfortable moment. Then, slowly, he stepped toward the claw machine keypad, pressed the required code in, and then let the magic happen.

The claw machine was pushed aside by the mechanism. After the claw machine was pushed aside, a wall partition behind the claw machine opened up. From the visitor’s view, he could see a descending staircase, a staircase that led to an unknown place.

The librarian walked towards the staircase and the visitor followed along. As soon as they reached the staircase, it lightened up, and I could see the wall lights on the wall. I could see how they had accumulated dust, like the room had not been entered for a long time. We descended downward. I think the staircase ended on the thirtieth step. At the end of the stairs was a large wooden sliding door. The librarian walked towards the door, slid it open, and said, "Off your shoes. It would be disrespectful to leave dust on the floor." I looked down at the librarian’s feet. I saw that he wasn’t wearing any shoes or slippers. He only had socks worn on his feet. I was confused a little, because I was sure I saw the man wearing sandals. And how did I not know when he took them off?

I immediately kept that knowledge aside. I don’t think it would do me any good to think about it. I would just leave it to be the man’s mysterious acts.

The librarian walked towards the now-opened room. The room was larger than the room upstairs. It had that ancient Chinese look. The dragon symbol, the yin and yang symbol, and some other symbols of Chinese culture.

The room was large, like it was created to teach hundreds of students, and there would be more than enough space for them to move up and down.

The man moved across the room toward a shelf that holds a sword. The sword had a golden and white hilt with a very dark scabbard.

The librarian walked, took the sword, caressing it like an old-time lover. He held the sword and walked towards where I am.

Little old me was struck in a trance. I think I am in love. I know that I have a fancy for swords. If I knew where I could get my hands on a sword, I would. I would get my hands on the swords and then become an avid sword collector. Nobody said you have to know how to use a sword before you start collecting it.

I have not seen any swords since I came into this world, maybe during my former life, but I am certain of one thing. Even if I see any sword, they won’t be as beautiful as this sword in my eyes.

The sword was extremely beautiful. A deadly, beautiful damsel. Easy on the eye but very dangerous when touched. That’s what the sword is. The urge to steal it has never been so strong. But I have a feeling that if I try to follow my intention, that I won’t succeed in it, and I would 100 percent die in the process of stealing it.

I was literally frozen in my love state. All that could be seen in my eyes was the sword. I was brought out by the voice of the librarian. I looked up, my eyes searching the librarian’s face for something. He found only a vast, bottomless unknown.

The librarian looked at me and said, "Are you done salivating?" He walked towards the midpoint of the room, folded his legs, sat down, and said, "Once you are done, tell me the story I am interested in."

I looked at the librarian for some time, then walked towards him. I then folded my legs, then sat down like him.

As I wanted to start, I was interrupted. I was told to say my name first. He asked me who I was.

I couldn’t lie to the man, after all, I want him to be my teacher.

"My name is Friesian Sarene. I am nobody important for you to know. All you need to know is that I want you to be my teacher," Lupingo said.

"I don’t think I am in the mood for having a student. In fact, I haven’t been in the mood since a very long time ago. You said you have a valid reason that would make me pick you to be my student. Go out with it, I am listening," the librarian said.

"I know of what caused your daughter’s death, and I know where the person that caused it is at," I said.

As I finished my words, the atmosphere in the room changed. It became very chilling in the room, like I had just said something that I shouldn’t have said.

"Are you sure of what you are saying? Don’t give little old me false hope. You won’t like the outcome," the man said with a smile.

"I am sure of what I am saying. But do you think you would be able to handle the information that I am about to give you?" I said.

"Get on with it, boy. Stop wasting time and playing with your life," the man said, but this time, the smile had disappeared from his face.

It was like if he did not talk now, that beautiful sword will turn deadly on me.

"Your daughter’s death was caused by your once favorite student. And your favorite student is in the United States living a large, extravagant life," I said.

"That’s a lie in itself. My student also died at the hands of what caused my daughter’s death. He can’t be alive. I saw his dead body. He is dead. He is not alive anymore," the man denied it 100 percent.

"Hmmm, that’s a little bit interesting, because I have a picture of him that shows he is very well alive," I said with certainty.

"Show me your evidence. Show me the reason for your hubris, and make sure it’s very convincing. If not..." He said without completing his words. He left me to complete it, and I sure as hell know what he meant.

I brought out a bundle of pictures from my waistcoat. I then gave it to him to see.

As the librarian saw the content in the picture, he didn’t react much. He was just silent. He looked at the picture silently and said,

"Where did you get these pictures from?" he asked me.

"I got it from someone I trust. The authenticity of the picture is a hundred percent," I said.

"Okay," the man said.

He said okay and was just silently looking at the picture. There wasn’t any smile on his face. It was just expressionless.

It was not that the librarian wasn’t feeling anything. It’s just that what he’s feeling, no expression can fully express it. So he just chose to be expressionless.

The man breathed in, breathed out, stood up, took the pictures, carried it to a black box with symbols on it, closed it, and faced me.

"You have shown me something deserving of my time, so tell me what you want, young man," he said.

"I am not seeking for anything much. What I want is to just be under your tutelage. I want you to take me as your student, teach me in the art of martial arts," I said.

"Nothing much, you said. Okay, I will grant you that opportunity, but that would just be temporary. You will have to pass a test first. But before I do that, let me ask you this."

"What are you planning to do with the martial arts if you are taught?" he asked me.

"What am I planning to do with the knowledge? It depends on the situation I find myself in, but one thing is for sure, I won’t go out of my way to attack any innocent person. But anybody that attacks me or gets on my really bad side, that’s fair game to me," I said.

The man nodded along and said,

"I like that you didn’t withhold the truth from me. I am fond of truthful people. I am not some kind of righteous person. I will teach almost anybody, but as long as they don’t attack those that are innocent. Once I teach someone and they fail to follow that, they will die a miserable death at my hand."

The man said with that same expressionless face. But if you feel the malice behind the words, you won’t doubt it at all.

"Now that you have answered that, let me tell you the content of how your test will be like," the man said.

"Must I still go through the test? Haven’t I proven myself worthy of your tutelage?" I asked.

"You are wrong. You have only proven yourself at 80 percent. It would only be a 100 percent when I have truly confirmed things with my own eyes. But that’s not the true issue here. The issue is that I have to test your body to see if it can truly follow, or accept my training," the man said.

In my mind, I was thinking, Bullshit. Like, what nonsense. The man just wants to give me a test like all those old masters in all those martial art films. Those old men are obsessed with tests, and this librarian is also part of them. Extremely obsessed people and their test mania.

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