After leaving the room, Liang Chen realized that he had been inside a carriage this entire time, shocking him quite a bit. It had basically been a small house, could carriages really be this luxurious? It was also only now that Liang Chen got to take a look at the surroundings.
Just like every other place in this hidden realm, there was a constant light drizzle of snow. Liang Chen could spot a few massive trees in the area around him, but the area was mostly dominated by what seemed to be warped structures of clear ice growing out from the ground, like claws trying to grasp at the sky. Liang Chen looked at these claws of ice with a bit of surprise. It wasn't all that cold in the area, yet these ice structures didn't show any signs of melting.
There were also several carriages located not far from Liang Chen and Teng Yimu. The carriages were placed in a circular formation, a plume of smoke rising from the center of the circle, with another carriage located a bit further to the right of the circle. While Liang Chen was marveling at the ice around him, Teng Yimu spoke up to catch his attention.
"So, Lil' Chen, any weapons you specialize in?"
Since he had been ordered to get Liang Chen some weapons, he would, of course, have to figure out if there was anything that Liang Chen was better at using. Liang Chen quickly took his eyes off the ice structures, turning to face Teng Yimy, giving a slight shake of his head.
"No, I don't specialize in any weapons, nor do I have any proper training in using any weapons."
Liang Chen had never bothered to cultivate or train while his parents were still alive, and once they died, there had been no one that could teach him. Teng Yimu rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth slightly after hearing the reply, thinking about what weapons would be best suited for someone like Liang Chen. In the end, he came to a conclusion and pulled out two weapons and a bracelet made out of violet beads from his interspatial ring.
"Then you can take these two, they are the easiest to use for beginners. Use the bow to assist us with ranged attacks, and the spear you can use to defend yourself. I'll get someone to give you a bit of basic training later. Here's some extra clothing and a bracelet you can store it in. The clothing is a bit too big for you, but you'll have to live with it."
The weapons he took out were a simple spear made out of flexible ashen wood, with a spearhead made out of silver metal. The bow seemed to be made out of a strange type of metal, the string made out of Demonic beast tendon. Grasping the weapons, they were far lighter than Liang Chen expected them to be, so they were clearly of a rather good quality, at least for him.
Teng Yimu also helped him put on the bracelet and taught him how to use it, as well as showing him the several cyan robes that were already placed within the bracelet. The bracelet was the same as an interspatial ring, it simply had a different shape. The robes were indeed too large for Liang Chen, trailing behind him and hiding his arms. But even when he tried to use the spear tip to cut the robes to size, he found that he was unable to pierce the robe, so it seemed to also have some defensive function.
Teng Yimu supported Liang Chen as they moved towards the circle of carriages, the sound of loud voices slowly starting to reach them. Moving past the carriages, a campfire was revealed to Liang Chen. There was a pot placed in the fire, the fragrant scent of soup drifting out from beneath the closed lid. Sitting around the campfire were four people, three men and one woman. They were all passing around two jugs of wine, happily chatting with each other. Once they got closer, Teng Yimu called out in a loud voice, drawing their attention.
"Alright you drunks, listen up! This here is lil' Liang Chen, he'll be traveling with us for the foreseeable future, so I don't want to see any of you old foogies picking on the young! Did I make myself clear?"
The people around the campfire quickly put their hands to their foreheads, standing up and giving Teng Yimu an overdramatic salute. Looking at the group of people, Liang Chen was reminded of the time he spent with the caravan guards as he hitched a ride to the hidden realm. Teng Yimu took Liang Chen's silent reminiscing as a sign that he was a bit frightened by the four people, so he pat him on the shoulder and introduced the group to him.
"There's no need to let them scare you, these bastards are harmless on the inside. He's Zhu Chun, that's Xiao Zeming, that needlessly tall one is Xiang Qing, and the old hag disguised as a pretty lady is Lu Ruogang. Don't fall for her looks, she has a preference for young people like you, so she might just gobble you up. There are a few more people in our group, but they have all gone ahead to scout out various areas, I'll introduce you once we meet up with them."
Zhu Chun looked like he was in his early thirties, and had green eyes and short orange hair that was slightly curly. He raised the jug he was currently holding, giving Liang Chen a smile and a toast.
Xiao Zeming had slightly pale skin and sunken eyes that had dark bags underneath them, he looked extremely tired. His eyes were a light brown in color, and except for a small palm of brown hair on the back of his head, the rest of his head was completely shaved.
Xiang Qing had light brown hair was indeed very tall, Liang Chen guessing that he reached about two and a half meters in height. His body was also rather thin, so he made for a strange sight. But his green eyes were looking at Liang Chen with a calm and gentle gaze, so he seemed like a calm person.
The last person in the group and the only woman, Lu Ruogang, hadn't stopped looking Liang Chen up and down since she noticed him. She was a bit short but very curvaceous, her yellow robe designed to emphasize her curves. She had smooth and delicate skin, black eyes and deep brown hair that hung down loosely. Upon seeing that Liang Chen looked at her, she sent him a smile and a slight wave.
Looking at the four people in the group, Liang Chen could not help but be surprised. He was a stranger they had never met, they had basically picked him up at the side of the road. But despite that, they were all treating him well, not even looking down on him. And as far as he could tell, they didn't have any hidden motives, their smiles and actions genuine. After greeting the four people, Teng Yimu spoke up and pulled a bit on Liang Chen, the two heading towards the carriage that was located a short distance away from the others.
"Let me take you to the ass who is going to give you a bit of basic training."
The two quickly reached the carriage, which looked like a small house on wheels. The door was closed, so Teng Yimu gave it a few heavy knocks, calling out in a loud voice that echoed through the area.
"Oy, Fat Yong, get your ugly mug out here!"
While Liang Chen was caught off guard by the way Teng Yimu spoke, the door to the carriage was flung open, a truly wide man waddling out. The man was almost as wide as he was tall, his fat jiggling as he moved. He had green eyes and greasy black hair that stuck to his forehead from sweat. He let out a snort, pointing at Teng Yimu and firing back a few insults of his own.
"You trying to start a fight, you shit-faced lanky bastard? Just look at me beat you up and steal all the sweets you keep hidden away!"
Despite the two of them insulting each other, they didn't seem to truly mean what they sad. Teng Yimu had a slight smile on his face, clicking his tongue and grabbing his own crotch as he mocked the man called Fat Yong.
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"As if I'd let myself get beaten by someone who can't even see his own crown jewels. You try to fight me, and I'll knock you so far into the dirt that you'll be able to finally find your dignity again."
The two suddenly broke into a loud laughter, Fat Yong delivering a punch to Teng Yimu's shoulder. The punch seemed light, but Liang Chen could see that it forcefully pushed away the air around the fist, so it was clearly far stronger than he could imagine. Yet Teng Yimu took it like it was nothing, his body only moving slightly. Fat Yong's eyes landed on Liang Chen, moving on to actual business.
"So what can I do for you? I'm guessing it has something to do with the kid?"
Fat Yong looked Liang Chen up and down, rubbing his double chin as he did so. Their group rarely gained new members, so whenever someone new joined them, it often brought a breath of fresh air. Teng Yimu nodded his head, gently pushing Liang Chen toward Fat Yong.
"Right. This is lil' Liang Chen, he'll be traveling with us from now on. I want you to teach him the basics of using a bow and the spear."
Despite his great weight, Fat Yong was one of the best fighters in their group, there were very few weapons that he hadn't mastered to a high degree. Fat Yong nodded his head at the words, stretching out his arm and grabbing onto Liang Chen's hand, giving him a handshake as he introduced himself.
"Just the basics huh, alright. Kiddo, I am Xiao Yong, but the guys around the camp just call me Fat Yong. I'll make a special exception and grant you the right to refer to me as such."
As he spoke, Xiao Yong threw his head backward, as if he was delivering a great grace unto Liang Chen. But all that met his display was the stifled laughter of Teng Yimu, as well as fake wretching sounds.
"Alright, quit it with the fake prestige, you're gonna make me hurl."
Xiao Yong's eyes narrowed slightly, glaring at Teng Yimu. He let out a loud snort, waving Teng Yimu away as if he was a stray dog.
"Hah, you're still here? You're so lanky I failed to spot you. Fuck off, I'm gonna start teaching the kid, let him get a feel for the weapons before we set off again."
Teng Yimu responded with another chuckle, but he did not leave immediately, his voice growing a tad solemn.
"Alright. I'm on first watch today, you wanna take second?"
Xiao Yong's eyes also grew a tad solemn after hearing Teng Yimu. Looking at how serious Xiao Yong seemed when he nodded his head at Teng Yimu, Liang Chen guessed that these watches were quite important, most likely who was keeping watch over the camp during the night.
"Leave it to me."
Teng Yimu seemed satisfied at the answer, giving Xiao Yong another nod and then heading towards the circle of carriages, joining the others that were drinking around the campfire. After Teng Yimu left, Xiao Yong turned towards Liang Chen, who was now focusing on getting used to the strengthened pressure.
"Alright, Lil' Chen, since we only have time for the basics, I will focus on teaching you two things. The first thing will be how to shoot straight, the second will be how to use the entire spear. It's gonna be rough, but I don't wanna hear any whining."
Xiao Yong stayed true to his words, only focusing on those two things as he trained Liang Chen. He made Liang Chen pull the string of the bow, correcting his stance whenever it was off, giving him a feel for how he should stand to shoot the arrow straight. As for what he meant when he said 'using the entire spear' he meant literally that.
The tip of the spear, the edge of the spear tip, the flat side of the spear tip, even the handle and the butt of the spear, everything could be used for combat or defense, one just had to know how to move the spear to use it properly.
Liang Chen quickly fell into something of a routine. During the morning, he would help Zhu Chun with making breakfast, during the afternoon he trained with Xiao Yong or one of the others, during the evening he would help with making dinner, and during the night he would cultivate. He expected himself to get tired fast, but even after this routine went on for a week, he didn't feel an ounce of tiredness, he, in fact, felt more energetic than ever before.
If there was one thing he wanted to complain about then it was the fact that he couldn't absorb any more lightning. There had been several lightning storms over the last seven days, even some where he could absorb small amounts of lightning. But all the lightning he absorbed into his body or Ascended Tower was quickly swallowed by the Lightning Seed, vanishing without a trace. He also hadn't been able to find anything that contained poison, so his cultivation still wasn't rising.
During the evening of the eighth day, after Liang Chen had finished helping with dinner and was focusing on his cultivation, Yan Ying walked over to Xiao Yong and the others, who were currently drinking and scarfing down a thick stew. Seeing Yan Ying walk over, they quickly stopped what they were doing, standing up and giving him a respectful salute.
"Young Master, what brings you here?"
Despite being in this hidden realm, there were a lot of tasks that Yan Ying had to take care of within the sect. Because of that, he usually spent most of his time within his own carriage, contacting various disciples and groups that they had connections with. Yan Ying sat down next to the campfire, grabbing the jug of wine that Lu Ruogang was holding, taking a few sips as he spoke.
"What else but Little Chen? I heard that you were put in charge of training him so I decided to come and check how it goes. Been any problems?"
He hadn't had any time to check up on Liang Chen after the original questioning, so now that he finally had some free time, he was a bit curious at how things had gone. But even without getting a report from Xiao Yong, he had been with the members of the group long enough that he could tell that there was no one in their group that had anything against Liang Chen. Xiao Yong and the others sat down again, Xiao Yong giving his report, his expression a bit strange.
"No problems. Kid's nice and polite, he doesn't whine or complain, and follows orders to the dot. He's not a prodigy or great talent, but he is able to absorb knowledge quickly, and what he lacks in talent he makes up for with diligence. Although, he might be a tad too diligent. I told him to practice drawing the bow, letting him get a feel for the weight and resistance. I figured he would stop once he got tired, but he continued to draw the string until his fingers bled and was forced to tell him to stop. He did the same when I told him to practice stabbing, sweeping, and spinning the spear, continuing to repeat the moves until his hands were raw and bloody."
Xiao Yong had seen talents before, people that could master any techniques within a few days, he had even seen prodigies before, people that could master the spear within a day. But he had never seen anyone like Liang Chen before, a child that trained without regard for his own body, even ignoring it when the string of the bow cut into his own fingers. After Xiao Yong delivered the report, Xiang Qing couldn't help but ask Yan Ying a question, a question that the others were also wondering about.
"Whenever he trains, it's like his entire demeanor changes, his eyes growing determined and hard. Young Master, just what is it that drives the kid like that?"
They knew that Liang Chen wasn't even 13 yet. A child that young should spend their days running around and playing with their friends, maybe cultivating for an hour or two a day. They should be happy and cheerful, they certainly shouldn't train like Liang Chen did, they shouldn't have eyes like his. But despite their curious gazes, Yan Ying didn't answer their question.
"You should ask him that, not me. Tell me, do you think we can bring him along when we move out?"
Yan Ying knew why Liang Chen trained like that, why he craved strength to a point where he ignored his own pain. But it was something very personal, so it was not his place to tell others about it. Xiao Yong fell into a short silence after hearing the question, rubbing his double chin for a bit before answering, nodding his head.
"Honestly? It shouldn't be a problem. The kid's got a low cultivation, but his body is strangely strong and resilient. His speed is also pretty decent, and he is able to use a wide variety of moves thanks to his two elements, he'll be able to protect himself. If we bring him along and give him a few arrows, he should be able to create a few good distractions that we can take advantage of."
As the one in charge of training Liang Chen, Xiao Yong had paid close attention to Liang Chen. Despite not having any formal training, he had excellent instincts that greatly aided him in battle, so even if they brought him along to a somewhat dangerous place, he felt confident that Liang Chen would be able to make it out alive. The others also quickly chimed in, giving their agreement and own assessments. Seeing his men give such high evaluations of Liang Chen, a slight smile appeared on Yan Ying's face, glancing at the currently cultivating Liang Chen who sat a bit of a distance away.
"Seems like we lucked out and picked up a diamond in the rough then. We'll arrive at the first stop in two days, make sure he is ready for what we might face. Also, have Lu Ruogang keep an eye on him during the battle."
Even if his men gave Liang Chen surprisingly high evaluations, it did not mean that Yan Ying would leave Liang Chen completely unguarded as he brought him into a dangerous area. Since he had decided to save Liang Chen back then, he, of course, had to make sure he protected his life. Having been given an order, Xiao Yong and the others quickly responded with solemn nods.
"As you wish."