Chp 11: World Background

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She told them her background.

She had been living overseas all her life. In recent years, her family was in distress due to her illness. However, to make things worse, they entrusted her to a terrible uncle here. That uncle should be the one who took care of her, yet, he did not uphold his responsibility. After having taken all her belongings, her uncle wrapped her up, and threw her into the lake. Her only dependable family, big sis, worked overseas, so she did not know that uncle's evil plot...

The homeless were enraged;

"A murder plot?!"

"So greedy, what a heartless man!"

"Such evil heart, I can't believe it!

"H-how could your uncle do such a thing, to a blood-related--"

"We're not blood-related,"

"E-even so!"

Their dissatisfaction was genuine.

The aunties were assuring her, while the old uncles urged her to go to the police, to file a report. While they weren't ready to meet the police, they were ready to accompany her right to the police station. Hearing so;

"I can't, he got a lot of influence. That could make things worse."

She politely rejected.

If the police could catch that jerk immortal for her, she would not hesitate, not a bit!

"Oh... right. It's not easy already for her, to survive such evil plot."

"Yeah, to meet the police... Wouldn't that be shouting 'I'm still alive, come kill me,' to the evil uncle?"

"Ahh, definitely not. Definitely! If he has so much influence... better for you to make a new ID,"

"Was thinking the same thing,"

"Change your identity, change your fate!"

"Being alive is more important, after all!"

With her tear-jerking story, she managed to build up the reason why she did not have an ID with her, as well as why she would need a new one.

And since she had been mistreated by her evil uncle, devoid of proper education, she did not have a clue as to the norm of society. She also explained she had an illness, of which she always felt lethargic, with a blurry memory. It was only recently that her memory cleared up, so she had a lot of questions about society's rules. About this, she got some of her answers.

The old uncles explained; that the Identification (ID) was the most important.

The government was strict. People needed ID for most transactions in the city. It was only between petty or local traders, one did not need to show an ID. Even going to the 24-hour mart, one still needed to scan their ID. If a patrolling Murim team requested your ID, you were required by the law to show one within 30 seconds or face questioning.

"That harsh?"

"Well, yeah..."

"You can say you are lucky if it's just some questions,"

A patrolling Murim team was an elite patrol team.

Different from the normal police, they had the authority to arrest or kill those who resisted. Even checking a building, if it was deemed suspicious, did not require a warrant. For petty criminals, the Murim people were an existence they tried to avoid as much as possible. It was better to be caught by the normal police than the Murim patrol team!

'Could they be Qi Refinement people?'

This world was not a cultivation world. If a Foundation Establishment was called basic, then the world was not a high-level world. This was the knowledge shared by big sis Xue with her during her sleep. As for her world, Core Formation was considered the basic. Yuan Ying, an expert. This world, however, was so weak that a cultivator in Foundation could wreak complete havoc here. This was due to the weaker natural law. The Qi here was thin and of low quality as well, Yun Zhi could feel it.

Comparing the Qi here and the Qi she had while in Jade Qilin Sect was too much.

Muddy water compared to fresh, refreshing milk?

How's the taste?

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Which one's better?

Do you need to ask?

The taste couldn't even be compared, much less the benefits!

'This Murim world is weak, but... I'm also weak,'

She had her cultivation taken from her by that 'jerk uncle'. He said he needed to uphold the law, protect the planet... What the heck! You gave me a job, but you took away my tools? How am I going to complete it? She wondered how she could face these small bosses while having no Qi whatsoever. It's not physically possible!

Nuh-uh!

Having heard about Murim on her first day here, it was obvious that Murim had a lot of influence in this world. So much so that their existence could not be hidden from the public. It was said that around 1% of the population was Murim people. Unfortunately, these homeless people did not know much about Murim. All of them were normal civilians, the so-called powerless people. All they heard was hearsay, with no evidence.

As far as they know, the Murim people were the true rulers of the cities and nations, not those puppet politicians. The Murim people protected, and also attacked if needed. Citizens looked upon them with fear and terror, but also with admiration and respect. Since they were the first line of defense against dangerous criminals, the evil cultists, and spirit beasts, they were an existence necessary for society.

"Evil cultists? Spirit beasts?"

Terms she had heard in the cultivation world. However, it was better to get an explanation here, since the situation might be different. The uncles explained;

"Evil cultists are the extremists! They killed and destroy just to fulfill their selfish belief! Last year, they bombed the bridge, killing many, causing a terrible traffic problem,"

"Selfish bastards, those cultists!"

"Hush, old Li. We powerless people should keep our voice unheard!"

"Right... don't invite trouble, don't invite trouble!"

"So what? Wanna kill me? See if I care! I have nothing left anyway,"

There was visible indignation, yet also fear when mentioning the evil cultists. Old Li, in particular, was agitated. For what reason, none of them seemed to know or curious enough to ask. They all had their bitter past anyway. As for the Spirit Beasts, she got her answer soon;

"Spirit beasts live outside cities, usually in a lush forest, remote valleys, or in deep mountains."

"Right, they're a lot stronger than normal beasts."

"I heard even a tank got clawed open by an armored tiger?"

"That's right! It was three... four months ago?"

"Did you guys see more and more news about them recently? I saw some news in the shop,"

"Not sure... They say there are some government blockades in some areas, so the news..."

It seemed these spirit beasts were a threat to humanity.

They existed in certain locations and were powerful enough for the government to mobilize military brigades to deal with them. Fortunately, due to the high human population as well as protection by the army and Murim people, Spirit Beasts rarely came into cities. Their instinct could tell it was not a wise choice.

It did happen a few times a year, but it was nothing to worry about. Most of them were young Spirit Beasts, lively and confident... They were strong, but not strong nor wise enough to win against the military and Murim experts protecting a city.

However, those who lived in the villages had a higher risk. There were almost no powerful Murim people in the outskirts. With their proximity to lush forests and wild areas, the rate at which an incursion happened was higher. While the story was that super strong grandpas often meditated in the middle of nowhere, there were simply too many villages compared to these legendary figures.

During such an incursion, the only way for the villagers or townsfolk to survive a spirit beast was either to run or to hide. The latter was better since not many could outrun a spirit beast anyway. Did you run? You're an open target! Some of these beasts had quite an intelligence. They played around with their victims first before killing them. While the mainstream news avoided such sensation, words of mouth spread among the populace. As old-timers, they naturally caught some of the news.

Throughout the years, the incident of an incursion only happened once every month... However, it seemed it was happening more and more often. Many more youngsters from the village came over to the city, not just to find a new life, but also to save their life.

Living in terror was not a good way to live.

After their explanation, Yun Zhi realized why these uncles and aunties did not go to the villages.

Security concern.

This was one of them... A crucial concern. If anyone said that security was not among the most important aspect of life, they naturally never encountered an entity hell-bent on killing them... yet.

Such naivety was funny and pathetic.

There were simply too many questions, but she endured, asking only the one she needed the most for now;

"Uncles, aunties... I might need to get a new ID soon. Do you know how?"

"This is... Actually, even we want to get one as well, but,"

"We only heard stories and heard rumors... As for how,"

"Even if we know, I've heard the black market demanded a huge price for it, up front."

The homeless uncles and aunties could relate. Even many of them had abandoned their identity due to fear that their previous life would come back hunting them. However, was it easy to procure a new ID? Going through the court would be useless, since that just meant changing name, not identity.

A good identity must be a clean slate, one people who could be a threat to you could not relate... So in this regard, she could only go to the black market... And it would not be easy. None of them knew how to do so. Perhaps, only those in big companies or Murim knew.

"So... Sadly, we can't help you,"

"Aii, how embarrassing. We're adults, but..."

"I see... Well, it's fine. I'll find some other way..."

"What about your big sis? She's good to you, right?"

"Yes, you're right auntie. I should focus on contacting her first,"

Yun Zhi did not expect much from them anyway.

For now, she had to deal with another bigger issue. Residence. She asked if there was a temporary stay she could go to. With nothing on hand and no ID, her options were limited. A temporary shelter did not exist in the city. It used to, but authorities took it down since it was deemed as encouraging people to be homeless. Seeing her a bit conflicted, their pity took hold of them. Her plight this time was not outside their reach anyway... So old Li, being the veteran there, offered;

"I know! For now, why don't you stay with us?"

"Hmph, old Li, for you to be so generous..."

"What? I only want to redeem myself..."

"Don't worry, little Yun, your aunties won't let you be outside, cold and alone..."

The aunties, despite being poor and miserable, were not petty. While they could not support her for long, at least a few weeks could be done. Until she could find a better place, they were ready to shelter her as best as possible.

"...Thank you..."

Well, it's done. She didn't want to be in such a shabby place, but her body still needed rest. Better to be in good company while that happened. Being out there alone, even for her, was unwelcome.

While the camp's condition was poor, it was not dirty. The camp, being managed by everyone, was kept in tip-top condition. Old Li, surprisingly, was the camp's leader by default. He was the oldest and supposedly wisest among them, so... No one wished to take that role anyway, and old Li was supposed to be a manager of sorts before his fall. They didn't know what exactly, but they just knew he did a good job with the rules and order. It had been four months, and yet the park authorities still did not notice their existence. It seemed he did form a good relationship with the guards there, so the guards turned a blind eye for now.

Hearing her thanking them in such a shy manner, they somewhat rejoiced.

"Don't worry about it!"

"We don't have much, but we aren't cheapskates!"

"Yeah, we're all adults here. Adults shouldn't be petty to children,"

"Children..."

That last statement was asking for trouble!

Old Li, you're really brave, hmph!

Well, she was dizzy, so she'll let that one go this time...

The homeless wanted to share some of their similar stories, but Yun Zhi excused herself. Aside from sleeping inside the lake, she didn't sleep much last night.

So tired...

Better take a rest soon!

Knowing she had just gone through a dire life trial, they sympathized and had no complaint. Soon, she snuggled into a tent belonging to one of the aunties. The old auntie put a clean rag on her, shielding her from the morning cold. Her first proper rest in the new world, new planet... turned out to be with the homeless. The princess and prime disciple of Jade Qilin Sect, one of the top ten sects in a continent in the cultivation world... snuggling into a homeless' tent.

Well, at least the place was clean.

She had no complaint.

Without much thought, she fell asleep like a baby...