“You do that, if anyone tries to do anything to you just scream for help, the patrolling guards, or I will come to help you.”
“Alright!”
Though it did not last long before Levis could even say his last word, the man was already moving toward the alley, with shifty eyes as he kept checking his pouch in a very pensive manner. In the end, he entered the “shop” as Levis was finely left on his own.
[On my own, all alone---. Well, let me take one of those hot buns with a strangely sweet taste. The sweets in the village are good but the ones from the city are something else.]
[Mhhh—, yes–, good- that you like it.]
“Here, kid.”
Moving closer to the open green area, Levis first approached a street vendor, who was selling off buns with a strange sweet jam that he had never tasted before today. Though, to his pleased face, as he received the sweet bun, he looked again at the coins that he had, as all he need it to do, was to take out and hand over a small brown coin to receive the food, which he had obtained from Hubert before he left.
After which, he continued to move towards the open area and sit under a tree, taking his time to eat and look around.
[So this is money. You give them and you take food and clothes, pretty useful and easy.]
[Easy to say when they are not made out of your own hard work.]
[I can work, and do things. Now that I am strong, I can probably hunt even bears and tigers.]
[You are more likely to become their meal before you hunt them. Leaving that, tell me about the city.]
[Hmm? What do you mean?]
[Nothing in particular just your thoughts.]
[Big, very big, I can not see the end of it. The buildings are bigger than anything I have ever seen, tall like small pointy hills—, there are a lot of people, but very few children, where are they—, most of them are adults. But the food is the best, I did not drink, since Hubert had given me nothing, but I will have a taste if I have the chance.]
[And?]
[And—, ah yes-, the shower, is a good thing, maybe I will get them to the village once I return, but you need the energy to activate it—.]
[Brat what the hell! This is not what I mean.]
[Disciple, disciple you are doing great, a man must see and experience many things, but this stone head wants to know about the “cultivators”.]
[Ahh—, yes, sorry, I lost myself. Hmmm—mmmm—, they are hiding. I can feel many strong presences all over the place, but they feel like a turtle hiding in its shell. The people from the streets and in the shops are strong, and some stronger than Rowen, but none of them gave me the feeling of beating senior Wan. However the hidden presences are making me prickly, clearly, they are very strong. This is everything I can sense.]
[Hmm—, good, very good, this restores some credence to your growth.]
[---.]
[I should probably go and see what Hubert is doing. It has been quite a while.]
[Aham—. Disciple, it is better if you do not disturb that boy, as he is fighting an enemy that even I face from time to time.]
[You call, jumping head first, eyes closed, and ears plugged, “facing your so call enemy”, indicates only your stupidity to fate here, and fate there.]
[I really want to go, it is already noon—, Eh!?]
[My fate, is your fate, so let us see who has the better saying.]
[You bastard, you and your fucking fate are the main reason we are here.]
[Shut up!!! Stop bickering in my mind, you are making my head hurt again—. And-, I think, I have seen someone I know, strolling around.]
[Who?]
[I will go and surprise him-, I bet–, hmm—! I think-, I have a good idea!]
[If you have a good idea, then I really will like to witness it.]
After Levis had stood under the tree for quite some time, eating his sweet bun, while discussing with Urger. During the time he was moving his line of sight all around, a somewhat familiar figure of an old man was moving thru the street, as he was quite surprised to catch it.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
But as Levis began to observe the old man, he begin to suppress his presence and intent, making himself almost unnoticeable as though he was merely backgrounded in one's vision, rising to his feet and moving normally as ever, closing near the old man that was admiring the trinkets of a street vendor, though before Levis could reach for him, the man strode away, towards a back alley on the opposite side with the one that Hubert had taken, putting him at risk of going farther and farther away from the immediate presence of the only person he knew.
“---.”
“I caught you! Now---, do we go, and drink the "good stuff"!”
“Who? Lad!? Young lad!!! How? What are you doing here?”
As the old man was just about to walk into the alley, a small hand grabbed his own, momentarily shocking the man as his eyes widen, as the most unlikely thing that could have happened to him, had really happened, someone had really sneaked behind him, and grabbed his hand, putting him in a state of shock and disbelief that was an extremely rare case for himself
“I must be getting old as to not sense you---, but whatever, come on! The "good stuff" you have said?"
"You have said that if we catch you. We are going to chat as we drink, I want to drink the "good stuff" that you have. As for why I am here, that is because I am traveling with the guards”
“Ehhh!? You mean, from the—, the kind that I give you two lads? How could any of you drink that at your rank? But a word is a word, and I must comply. Hmmm—, come, follow me to an eatery.”
“Alright—, just so you know, I did not drink anything, the flask that you gave us, I did not even touch, and in the end, it got con-confiscated.”
“Well, it was to be expected. Plus if you were to drink that, you might have exploded from the sudden increase in the quantity of energy.”
“Not me, I am confident, I can resist.”
“Haha, do you not know, what will happen when a frail dantian gets flooded by a high amount of energy?”
“It will explode!?”
“Yes-. But only a fool will try something so dangerous that might kill him—. Here!”
As Levis followed the old man, for a few turns, they arrived at a rather remote diner, as once they got inside, Levis could feel a much calmer and deep ambiance when compared with the speedy and brilliant city outside.
“Here lad, sit. I will order for the two of us. Roasted meat, potatoes, light wine, and some sweet fruit wine for my young friend here.”
As they sat at one empty table a young woman walked slowly and silently towards them, as she took the order from the old man, and then leaving without saying anything. However, not long after, she returned with two plates full of meat and potato that smelted extremely good to the active sense of the boy, as he was near the point of salivating, while he could not move his gaze from the food.
“You can start to eat, the food is better eaten when is warm.”
“In that case, thank you for the meal.”
With a small spoken gratitude, Levis began to gorge on the food that was clearly of a higher quality than what he had eaten while strolling with Hubert.
“Good, this—, mmm–, is-, so good!!!”
“Haha—, good that you like it, but try and take it slowly lad, no one is going to steal it from you.”
[This is good, and—, and all of it has actual appropriate energy in it.]
[Try to eat it slowly and absorb everything you can, this will give you another bump, as from now on, you will need every single spec of energy to grow, you should have noticed, that even as you absorb more energy, you can not rise so fast relative, to when you compared yourself to the rank of the cultivators. As each rank has a different amount of energy to be filled, like going from puddles of water to lakes, the puddle is filled quickly but a lake takes time, even when you increase the water that flows in. Do understand?]
[Yes—, this food is good for me, and it tastes even better.]
[---.]
“Hmmm—, since you can move the way you did early, I will treat you with another gift. Do you want it?”
“Yes!”
“Here.”
However, the gift that the old man was talking about, was a small hand booklet, that even Levis could consider it small and thin, as the number of the pages, barely broke into the dozens, and the size was the right fit for Levis’s open hand.
“This?”
“Well keep it safe and read it when you have the time. Now I will go, the food is paid so you can—.”
“Ahhh-, you want to run, you have not brought out the good stuff.”
“The good stuff? You mean the flash I left with you two lads?”
“Yes.”
“Lad, what happened to the one I left?”
“---It got con-confiscated.”
“You see, can you hold onto it nor use it, not to mention something like that is a danger for a small boy like you.”
“I am—, going to become the greatest man in the world! And the greatest cultivator of all time, at the same time, I am not going to remain small forever, old boy!”
“Hmm—, the greatest man you say? In that case, you ought to do it in silence and surprise everybody, otherways I or someone else might come after you if you are too radiant—. And did you call me “old boy” you devilish brat, you might want to watch your words!?”
“Ayaaa—! I know that already!”
However, at his remarks, the old man got irritated as in the end, he used his finger to flick the forehead of the boy.
“What!? You know it already?”
“Yes, stay hidden, and stay safe.”
“That is the safe game. Aha, you might not be a stupid brat after all, so about the “good stuff”?”
“Ahhh-, yes. I want this many!!!”
“Ehhh!? What, you dumb brat, you want to hustle this old man out of his fortune.”
Though to the surprise of the old man, the boy raised both of his hands with all the fingers indicating the numbers of the “good stuff” he was desiring.
“I will give you one.”
“No this.”
“One!”
“How about this?”
“One!”
“---.”
[Ahhh! Help!! My great idea is failing!!!]
[Aha—. good one kid, but too bad.]
[Disciple, disciple. Using the “I am just a naive child” play is a good one, but here you must act differently, just go and say—.]
One after another, the fingers that Levis was showing were decreasing, as he was getting more and more shocked at his repeated failures in convincing the old man.
“Alright, I will take one.”
“Huuu—, you finally come to a sane mind.”
“But—.”
“But what.”
“But what about Hubert, if he sees that I got one and he got nothing he will feel betrayed and resent you.”
“You-youuu—, alright I will give you two flasks no more.”
“Thank you! Ayaaa, what is this for?”
As the old man moved his hand, he took two flasks from his pouch at his waist, and then gave them to the boy, who was as happy as a baby at the sight of two small bottles. Though, in the end, the old man gave another flicker on his forehead.
“Lad, this is dangerous, so better keep them hidden, do not let anyone find out, and do not speak of it.”
“Yes.”
[This "elixir" is of a lower grade than the one he had given you two at the village.]
[Haaa!?]---“Wait a moment this one—!!?”
However, as he was extremely curious, he immediately began to open one of the small flasks taking it to his mouth and nose, taking in an extremely potent and heavy amount of energy as his cels seems to become more active than ever as though having found an addiction that they would gladly fall into. However to destroy his good moment was as always Urger, averting him that the quality was lower when compared with the first one. Still, as he was about to question the old man, he found that his plate of food was empty as well as his wine cup, and for the person, himself was gone from the table as well.
“Alright lad, see you next time, if you can catch me again---, well--, make sure you can actually during and make me stay, see you!!!”
"Wait a moment---! He is gone."---[At least I have made a big score with this, right!?]
[I have to admit you did good, in having this devil's luck.]
But even as he was gone, words from the old man still arrive at his ear, just as though he was right ahead of him.
"Ahh-, yes, the food is paid, so finish and then go to your friend. Till the next time, we meet, lad."
"---."
"Alright time to eat---, after this I and going to see what Huber it's doing."
Although, as Levis was continuing to eat, the old man was walking slowly as he himself was eating and drinking as he had been forced to take the food and wine, as in this moment they were levitating next to him, as he was taking bits and sips from them.
“Aaa—, that was scary, I have said it in a joke, but he really did it---, what the hell--, is this a sign from the whatnot gods above-. Haaa---, I must be tired. First I fail my job, then I am chased, after that, I barely end my job, and now this lad actually sneak behind me, I need to relax somewhen safe, out of the city, I do not like my luck in all, at this moment---, Brrrr cold, winter must be coming.”
However, as he was eating and complaining, a cold breeze run him over, making him shudder for a bit, even as in truth he could ignore the cold if he truly wanted it.