Ezhno was legitimately shocked at the moment, knowing he must not divulge this secret to anyone. He had stumbled upon a new method of enhancing that did not require beast meat, if others knew of this information, it would cause the world to go into a frenzied free for all that would provoke another collapse in society.

Seeing the look on the old man's face, Ezhno knew he needed to veer from the topic. He said to the old man, "Gramps, I just remembered over-hearing some people in the village talking about enhancers and got excited that I was able to figure out what they were gossiping about is all. I also remember them discussing a way to get their hands on some beast meat but don't think it would be appropriate for you."

After hearing the overwhelming news, the old man was brimming with excitement, he saw an opportunity to fulfill his dream of becoming an enhancer. He said to Ezhno, "You possibly know of a way to get your hands on the special beast meat? What did the villagers say? You must explain all of the details."

Since the beast meat was now the center of attention, Ezhno felt he was successful in diverting the old man from prying deeper into his secret. He wanted to exact his revenge by playing a prank on the old man for consistently making fun of his embarrassing moments earlier.

With a grin from ear to ear, Ezhno wagged his finger and shook his head back and forth and said, " Gramps, I think you should just enjoy the simple pleasures in life and forget about this method. At your age, even if you gave it your all, you will never succeed. If you are not killed and somehow survive the outcome, the humiliation will make you yearn for the afterlife.

The old man became agitated he said to Ezhno, “Boy, stop looking down on this old man and let me decide whether I am capable. Is the reason you are withholding the information from me because of the embarrassment from earlier? Please stop stringing me along and explain what you have heard. My heart really can’t withstand any more of this torment."

Ezhno with an evil grin smirked and said, "Ok, ok, I will tell you what I know, but I will warn once more, you will defiantly not like what I have to say, this way may work for me but will be impossible for you." He could not contain himself anymore at this point and started laughing loudly at the old man.

"You little shit, I may be an old man, but I'm not scared to beat the living snot out of you in front of all these people." Gramps gritted his teeth and growled as he shook his fist towards Ezhno.

Ezhno giggled and said "Gramps, that temper will be the death of you someday. But before I reveal anything, there is something urgent that must be taken care of." He looked directly into Gramps' eyes with a straight face and said, "I am still hungry, go buy me another one of those scrumptious mutton casings and bread. My memory tends to fail me when I am still hungry.

Gramps' angered expression subsided and turned to one of defeat, he gave a long sigh, "Fine, but stop keeping this old man in suspense, I honestly can't take it anymore."

After the old man handed over the food, Ezhno licked his lips and started slowly eating away on his mutton casing. The old man could not take it anymore and said, "It's a damn mutton casing and bread, you are acting as if this is the last meal you will ever enjoy, spill it, or I shall feed you my fist!"

While still slowly savoring every bit, Ezhno looked at the old man and replied as he gave a mischievous laugh, "Gramps, did you forget, I am a country bumpkin, I rarely eat stuff like this! I may not get another chance to enjoy such delicacies." He could tell that the old man was at his wit's end, Ezhno thought it was time to end this little charade and conclude his plot for revenge.

He ate the rest of his food quickly and lifted up his arm at the old man gesturing for him to come closer. Gramps could not contain his excitement and leaned in closer towards him. Ezhno whispered to the old man saying, "It's very simple. All you have to do is go to every rich and prominent family and tell them that you are the bastard to the head of the household and that you came to see your father."

His hysterical laugh echoed all around. He looked at the shocked face of the old man and said, "Serves you right, this is my revenge for constantly making fun of me and that itching."

Gramps' leaned back on his chair with his head facing the sky in defeat, with a somber sigh he said, "I should have known better, you were just getting even with this old man for his misdeeds from earlier. I was so frenzied over the possibility of becoming an enhancer that I let this youth get the best of me. I really should just give up on my dream."

While looking at the dejected old man, Ezhno's laughter dissipated, It was now replaced with sadness and remorse. With his conscious now shrouded in guilt, he thought to himself, 'Well damn, I suppose I took it a little too far, I honestly feel bad for him now.' he had not joked, laughed and enjoyed another individuals company in well over a year. Ezhno did not discriminate against age, he really admired and felt he could call this old man a friend.

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Ezhno reached over and put his hand on the old man's shoulder and said, "Gramps, I am sorry for taking my joke too far. I just wanted to teach you a little lesson for teasing me earlier, but I "Ezhno Stone" will promise you one thing, if I ever get my hands on some special beast meat or find another way to enhance the body, I vow to fulfill your dream in becoming an enhancer."

Ezhno had promised the old man because he knew it was vow he could keep. Even though he considered Gramps to be a friend, the bond between them was still minimal at best. He needed to strengthen that bond, trust needed to be ensured before he could divulge the secret to him. If the masses knew of a new radical way to enhance the body without the aide of beast meat, it would be another catastrophe and create chaos in society once more. If Ezhno wanted to secure a future, he needed to make sure that he was ahead of everyone else.

Gramps stared at the young man, whose eyes expressed absolute resolve. At that moment, he thought of his grandson, the slightly moist eyes glistened in the sun, as he nodded and gave the young man a warm smile. After a moment, he sat upright in his chair and said to Ezhno, "Boy, enough of this mushy stuff, why are you acting like a woman all of the sudden."

With a "Hmph," Ezhno said to the old man, "Calling me a woman? Why don't you go search for your long lost father, you old bastard!"

Gramps responded back by saying, "I would rather be a bastard than a fool who thinks an insufferable itch down there is something normal! " They both stared at each other with gritted teeth and squinted eyes, after a few moments, they both roared in loud laughter then turned their attention back to the middle of the arena when the laughter subsided.

A few minutes into the fight Ezhno said to the old man, "Gramps, I was wondering, why call them enhancers instead of cultivators? Since these enhancers are trying to cultivate and acquire a more developed way to enhance the quality of their bodies wouldn't it sound better to call them cultivators instead? The Azurine Cultivators; Doesn't that sound more appealing than just boring enhancer?"

The old man and many in the surrounding area that heard Ezhno's explanation all nodded their heads in unison. It was as if a storm was brewing around the arena and was hailing the word "cultivator"; the arena did not know where it originated from, they all wanted to be the first among their friends to coin the term. After the buzz died down, Ezhno looked over at the old man and said, "Well Gramps, as much fun as I am having here with you right now, I need to be heading back home soon."

The old man had a sad expression on his face. He said to Ezhno, "I'm sure your parents will start to worry if you do not get back home soon, I shall escort you outside the arena and take my leave as well. I am finding the fighting to be rather dull and boring now. But before that, I need to head over to the betting booths to see if our fighter won. I was not paying attention to the fight earlier and do not even know if we won any money." The old man laughed, "Wait here for a moment while I go and check." A few minutes later the old man appeared before Ezhno and said, "Ok, let us take our leave now."

In front of the gates to the fighting pits, a youth and an old man were facing each other as they exchanged a few words. "Well Ezhno, I enjoyed my time with you today, I am glad you bumped into me and knocked me on my ass." The old man gave a hearty laugh. "Open your hand, I would like to give you a gift before we go our separate ways."

Ezhno cupped open his hand, and the old man placed a small, yet heavy pouch into it and said, "This is half the coins won on the bet from earlier. You can not reject this gift. If you refuse this old man's kindness, I will scream for the guards and tell them you are a thief that has stolen my coin purse and have you stoned to death!" The old man laughed as he emphasized the last few words.

Ezhno was speechless at this old man's generosity, it was hard for him to fathom anyone that could show a caring side to a person such as himself, all he could do was nod his head up and down. After placing the pouch of coins in one of his empty pockets, he rubbed his slightly moist eyes and said to Gramps, "Old man, you sound as if this will be the last time we will ever see each other, come visit me anytime at Forest Shadow Village if you are ever bored. I am easy to locate, my dwelling is the only hut near the village head's stable, that I tend to."

The old man nodded his head and replied, "If this old man ever finds himself in that direction, I will make sure to give my greetings, now run along before it gets too late. Do not get your parents worried because of this old man's rambling. I shall now take my leave." As he turned around, he heard Ezhno respond, "No worries Gramps, my parents are not amongst the living. Till we meet again."

Gramps froze in place; he didn't realize that this youth was an orphan. After a moments thought, he turned around and said, "Ezhno if you ever need help or are visiting White Rock just drop by the inner walls and tell the guards you are a relative of Sergeant Conrad Rossiter. If they refuse or give you a hard time just tell them the Sergeant will not be pleased, and if it comes to that point just mention the words re-education training." as he gave an evil grin and laughed. "After that you shouldn't have much trouble."

Ezhno was a little taken back by his evil laugh just now. He once again nodded his head and said, "Till we meet again! Stay well Gramps." He turned around and headed towards the nearest exit out of town. After a few minutes of traversing the densely packed streets, he decided to find a general store, now that he had a little fortune, he needed to pick up a few more supplies he now deemed as a necessity.

Fifteen minutes later, Ezhno made his way towards the wooden bench located on the side of the building. Once he found a comfortable position, he began to situate his newly acquired items. He placed a small pouch of sweet confectioneries in his outer shirt pocket. They were the exact ones that he could not enjoy a year ago, he prepared the inkwell beside himself on the bench and held the quill in his hand. He placed the leather journal on his lap, then said to himself, 'In order for me to understand this new form of cultivation, I must record everything related to it.'

After dabbing the quill into the ink, Ezhno than proceeded to write Inception of Cultivation on the first page of the journal. After a few moments, he placed the quill back down and proceeded to blow gently to dry the ink. While staring at the page, he nodded with a satisfied expression over his choice of words and closed the journal.