[River!]
Though, as Levis was taking turns left, and right, moving between the tents, to exit the camp, inside the habitation that he had just left, the situation was evolving in an unnatural course, as the tension of an unknown danger was filling the air that Rowen, old Wan, and Adrian were in.
“Thin, extremely thin, to the point I am left without critiques. The fact that he became a cultivator is a natural occurrence, considering the kind of consciousness that he possesses. Fluidity, finesse, and accuracy, this is the perfect kind of consciousness one can have. The fact that at his rank he is able to move the consciousness to his hand, and then into my mind, then take a part of mine forcefully, while not truly damaging my own rationality and sanity, is something that I have never heard of. If the information gets out, I am afraid that there will be nothing we can do, but distance ourselves from Levis, as this will get out of proportion faster than I can even imagine.”
“The ability to make cultivators! Can we use it—, him?”
“No, the odds of this getting out will increase with every cultivator that we might make. And—, let me be perfectly clear about this, little Rowen, I am already debating on whether to kill or not, the ones that know about this. Even with the oath I can not trust or be reassured about our safety. Just by being near him, we are making ourselves targets. “Cultivators should not be made, but become naturally”. If one can make an army of cultivators, out of the untalented mortals, that will put enormous pressure on all who do not have that said one, promoting assassinations, infightings, or outright war for the said person.”
As old Wan was speaking with Rowen, as though a senior giving a harsh truth to a child, the side glance that he gave to Adrian, was one that indicate his life might be ending at the end of their words.
“Is there anything positive concerning his capability at this point?”
“This—, I do not know. What he might be able to do or apply his consciousness to, is only to be seen in the future. The only thing more frightening is the person in question, as there are a lot of unknowns about him. The only thing I was able to gain was the fact that he is an orphan whose parents have died at the foot of the village that had raised him, and as for his closest relative, well, they are dead, or what you can see from those three. Well, what I want to say, is that he is an unknown risk to take as of now, as his development might be something that can not be reigned in by anyone, and loyalty might be—, no it will most definitely be a difficult thing to have, giving any course that might occur.”
“Maybe, maybe---, he is a sign. Maybe he can help M—?”
“ROWEN!!! Do not lose yourself, in the illusion of this unknown and uncertain hope.”
“---.”
However as old Wan was expressing his worries, Rowen lost himself in his own thoughts, as he seemed to be going in a different pattern of thinking from the old man, only to be shouted at, and to be awaking from his ideas.
“We will take him. I really want to see how he will develop in the future.”
“Sigh, I just hope that he will not become our downfall.”
“Here I go!”
“Splash”
However at the same time, as the debate about him was taking place, Levis plunged into the river as though a boulder, making the water splash everywhere, as for a moment the river seemed disturbed, only to return to normality just a second later, as the flow renew the normal state of the flowing water as per always.
[ [Was it alright to let him do all of this? Now they are aware of some of our disciple's peculiarity.] ]
[ [I did it, so as to give him some leeway to feel good about himself, I do not want him to bottle up in pessimism.] ]
[ [Hooo, you actually care about him!] ]
[ [Care? Yes I care about my experiment, if they were to be idiotic or to do something idiotic, how hard do you think it will be for me, to kill them off, without alarming the kid?] ]
[ [Hmmm, hard? Are you using irony now?] ]
[ [Exactly, nothing but little boys.] ]
[I am doing it—.]
[How is it?]
[Hmm, it is much harder than what I can absorb from the air, but it is nowhere as difficult as the ground.]
[I told you the energy from the ground it is harder to absorb, but this will not be a problem as you will get accustomed to the feeling or when you will have enough energy to have a much stronger attraction to your skin and body as a whole.]
[What do I do now?]
[Absorb energy and train in the river. Just thru some punches and kicks, the resistance from the water is suitable to train in as you need to fight back against the force and the flow.]
[Yes–, hmmm---!? I need air to breathe!!!]
Yet, at the same time that Levis was playing in the river, the sun that was just coming out, gave the onset for the camp, to begin its full life activities, as the food was prepared by the housewives, for the men that were going to the nearest hill, that was looking over the forest spanning to the north and east, while the prairie occupied the better half view from the east the south all the way to the west side.
However, while many were gathering outside of the camp, very few important villagers were now inside Rowen's tent, which seemed to be a bit overcrowded.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“The day after tomorrow, we will leave.”
“What?”
“This fast? What about the bandits and their leaders? I heard they had not come here and you did not catch them.”
“Can you wait? Just till we make the New Village—?”
Nonetheless, as he rose a hand to stop the clamors of the many heads, of the many villages, the young Captain gave them a cold look to all of them.
“First, we have killed most of the bandits. Unfortunately, the leaders have escaped, and it is an impossible, of an endeavor to go search for them, or for the ones that have been kidnapped, with just the men that I have here. For that, I am sorry.”
“Then, stay here for a longer time.”
“This can not be fulfilled, I have already done all I can for you. It is your decision to stay here not mine. And you should know, that you are staying at the corner of the Kingdom, in a place of no value whatsoever to any powers of the kingdom or of the prairie, this place is not just dangerous but also useless for the Kindom to move in your defenses. However, to that point, my senior, has already helped the chief of Down River village, Kafu Nur, and the hunter of his village, Hof Eivor, in successfully ascending as cultivators.”
“What?”
“Why the Down River, they barely had any loss during this crisis.”
“This will shift the balance of power between the villages!”
“SILENCE! I can not comment on how you will rule your village, however, he or the hunter, will not enter the struggle for the rule of this new village. That is, if none of you do something that will provoke them.
As Rowen uttered his words, the many young or old heads of the villages that had been gathered here, looked at the seated Village Chief sporting a stern look, and at the big Hunter behind him, who looked as though he did not entirely know where he was or what they were doing.
However as the man nodded at Rowen's comment, many sighs of relief were heard from the surrounding men and women, present in the tent.
“You will have to decide on your own, how this townlet of yours will be governed. As the last thing, I will leave two communications stones, that can be used to come into contact with the city of Rud. This is for emergencies as you will not need to walk to the closest town if you need to contact the Kingdom's guards. This is all, everything here will remain yours, as well as the loot from the bandits that we do not need. You can leave.”
Yet as the village heads left the tent, the only one to remain was Rowen, who turned his head toward his left as he looked at a separating wall made out of textile that was pushed to the side, to reveal old Wan, and a walking, but slightly pale Adrian who was moving to the table to sit down.
“Can you move?”
“I am in pain, and I feel light-headed, other than that nothing that can impede my activity to proceed with my role of vice-captain.”
“And that is not a problem for you?"
“Sigh, I gave you time to rest, and you still, do not accept it.”
“I will take lead with the other rank 4 guards and oversee the preparation to leave.”
“If you can. If not go and rest, I do not want to hear a report that you have collapsed while working.”
“Then if you will excuse me, I will be gone.”
“Yes, yes, go.”
Once Adrian was gone as well, Rowen begin to tap the table with his finger, as he glance at the silent old man.
“So, have you thought of something about him?”
“No, We need to see how he will develop from here, is still a little bit too early to say anything concrete.”
“Hmmm.”
Though, at the answer that was no answer at all, Rowen begin his cultivation session, while the old man was pondering deeply over his own worries, that were troubling him.
Yet at the same time, the person that old Wan was having a headache from, was finding himself in a small precarious situation.
“Ahh! Where is this.”
[You got swept with the flow of the river, and got dragged some distance away from the camp. Are you a fish or a duck, how can you lose yourself so much in the water!?]
[How far am I?]
[About two thousand meters, Be careful at the snak—]
Though, while Levis was getting out of the river, and was walking on the hard and stony sand, an unknown feeling took over him, as his right-hand shoot downwards to his ankle, as something cold and scaly, was moving in his hand, and began to coil over his arm, before he could even look at what it was that he had bought.
“Aaaa, what is this!? SNAKE!!!”
Yet once he took a look at his hand, he was scared to the point that his face become immediately pale.
A brown-yellow snake, that had his head, into his hand grip, was coiling over his arm as though trying to escape from the iron-like grip that the boy had over the animal.
[Hooo, you caught him with your hand, is that an intuitive response to danger?]
[Quick what do I do! He is stuck to my arm, how do I throw it away?]
[No need. Take a better look at this snake.]
[What? The fact that its head is like a triangle, and is most likely venomous?]
[No, you fool can you not feel it? And what venom it will just give you a minor burn of the skin. Now, can you sense it?]
[Hmmmm—, a dantian? Is this snake a cultivator too?]
[Yes--, you can say that---, but more importantly, move and eat its dantian.]
[Alrig—? What!?]
[Sqaush its head, and then find its heart and dantian, use your consciousness and energy, to take the dantian, and do it fast before it starts to dissipate.]
[Eh!]
Even as Levis was being encouraged by Urger to kill the snake, hesitation existed in his eyes, as was not sure, if what he was urged to do, was something that his grandpa would approve of.
[This might be a shortcut for power. Plus is this animal's fault for attacking you, death is inevitable and to be expected if you attack someone. Now go for it!]
“Hmmm---, I am sorry.”
“Pssst-ss-s—.”
As he put more strength into his hand, the snake gave its final sounds, as its head was crushed into the little hand of the boy, while its body became limp, and slider down to the ground, however with the head still into the boy's hand.
[Fast!]
Prompted, as to move quickly, he moved his left hand over the snake's body to locate its heart, and consequently its dantian.
[Found it. Ahh, knife, and cut.]
[No, use your hand, and encapsulate it, or it will dissipate immediately into the surroundings.]
As instructed, he used, his right hand in parallel with his left one, while his consciousness and energy were forming bubbles over his palms, as he was ripping the snake in two, while blood was spurring over from the open stomach.
[I have extracted it? Though I can not see anything, my sense is telling me there is something in my hand.]
With a fast motion, as its bubbles detected a strange sphere of concentrated energy, he used his consciousness and energy to rip it apart from the snake's body and hold it in his palm.
[You can not see it, as this is still in the ethereal form, and can not be seen with just the human eyes]
[From the amount I feel, this must be about rank 1 low?!]
[Yes it is about right. Now absorb it.]
[I am already doing it! Now let us go back.]