Safe and sound, Sa Min strolled from the hall then paused, gazing up at the bright sun. He wished it didn’t exist. Like in the Sunless Plane. Over the years, he came to dislike light and heat. And like the dark and cold and… less people. But he couldn't just destroy it, could he?
He sighed. I need to get some sleep, he thought to himself, feeling completely drained. One and a half hours will do, then back to cultivating.
There was no extra time to waste.
With his bare feet pressing against the wet soil, Sa Min strolled out of the Qing family residence and entered the inn nearby.
"Get me a basin of hot water along with the bathing things and a new towel... any clean clothes here?" He stood before the innkeeper's desk.
With his indifferent face filled with blood and bruises and his whole body covered in dirt, the innkeeper looked at him concernedly.
Sa Min handed the man 10 coins and the umbrella he had borrowed.
The innkeeper nodded. “We will surely find you one. Are... are you alright?”
“I’m good,” Sa Min replied curtly as he proceeded to his room and settled loosely into the chair. Lost in his thoughts, he stared out the window at the Qing’s courtyard.
Every man born into this world found themselves shackled by the chains of slavery, pulling them towards their fate. This was a fact of life, whether you liked it or not. Love, revenge, family, cultivation, wealth — everything around you, everything inside you — all, in one way or another, influenced your decisions and future
But there was one chain — the ultimate chain Sa Min liked to call it — that was stronger than all the others, the chain that bound every neck with no exceptions.
This chain was the chain of death.
If you could control another's death chain, you pretty much owned them.
Sa Min had managed to grip the death chain wrapped around the Qing family's neck. Their existence was literally in his hands. But… he was too weak to just control them the way he wanted.
It was like a kid grabbing onto a wild horse’s reins. Quite impossible, and highly risky.
As slaves as they were, people cherished the illusion that they were free and in control of their own lives. They hated it when others controlled them and treated them like slaves.
Especially if those others were weaker than them.
Sa Min understood this. He knew very well that if he had directly tried to make them submit to him, there was a high chance they would have fought back with everything they could and tried to find a way to break free, even if it meant risking their existence.
All is well, Sa Min sighed and turned to the two servants who finally arrived, doing their jobs. Convincing them that there is another group searching for the Key is enough.
He hadn’t really convinced them; it was the only logical conclusion they could reach. Sa Min had merely tried to make sure they arrived at it. If there was anything Sa Min had convinced them of, it was to work for them.
He had explained to Qing Xieren that the reason he had been following his son was because he wanted to enter the Inner Domain, as it would greatly benefit his cultivation. He had not lied. That was just the truth.
Then, Sa Min had gone on to say that the only way they could ensure he would tell nobody about them was to work under them. That way, reporting them would also mean reporting him.
Qing Xieren had agreed, and one of the reasons he had was to get close to Sa Min and find out who was the other party.
Sa Min had made them need him. Just as he’d done with Sa Huiqing.
This was a good outcome.
Once the servants left, Sa Min nonchalantly took off his dirty robe and went to close the door. Then, without wasting any time, he immersed himself in the steaming hot water.
"Three days have gone," he muttered. "Going to need two bottles of soul liquor for the Volcanic Black Rock Ka again. That will cost two force apples." Sa Min heaved a sigh and began to scrub his body with the soap rock.
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The sun was still shining when Sa Min arrived at the academy. After he had taken the rest he needed, he went straight to a cultivation shop, where he fed his Volcanic Black Rock Ka.
Now, I’ve only got four force apples left, Sa Min thought to himself as he made his way to his dorm in the inner circle. With my current Ba's strength, I only need 1 force apple or 2 at best every day to cultivate.
This meant these 4 force apples would be gone in just two days.
Luckily, since wandering the city for hours would consume a significant amount of his time, and time was a crucial resource in the cultivation world, Sa Min had requested Qing Xieren to supply him with one force apple every day.
Qing Xieren had agreed without much thought.
One force apple might look like nothing to you, but it was worth 6000 gold coins, which was enough to provide for a family of five throughout a month, in non-cultivation things, of course.
But still, to Qing Xieren, it had no value.
Why hadn’t Sa Min asked for more? First, because he didn’t want Qing Xieren to feel like he was using him, and second, because he wanted him to see him as naive and someone he could manipulate and control.
So that Sa Min could control him and use him.
“But as my Ba strengthens, I will be needing more force apples as I’ll be able to cultivate much longer.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Sa Min sighed. Tomorrow's problems were for tomorrow's him.
When he would open his essence core, he would definitely search fot a way to get more force apples.
The male inner disciples’ dormitories at the Cultivation Academy were a row of connected bungalows.
He stopped at his dormitory, the third one on the right. The door was closed, and he remembered his roommate, Xieng Zan telling him that they would go on a mission yesterday. He reached into his new blue robe for his key, and as he inserted it into the lock, a deep voice came behind him.
“Where have you been all this time?”
Sa Min spun around.
A big bearded young man stood bare-chested in the doorway of the opposite dormitory, sweat glistening on his muscular frame. It was Sa Wen.
"Your sister was here yesterday looking for you, but you didn’t show up," said Sa Wen between heavy breaths. He must have come from cultivating. “She came back this morning.”
Sa Min scowled a bit. “What does she want?”
“She wants me to let you know your father has requested your presence in the clan.”
Sa Huiqing! Sa Min’s frown vanished, and a faint smile crossed his lips. Must be about the Pointed Jade Box Ka, no doubt. He will try with me again.
He would as well provide him and Sa Juan with force apples for cultivation. But Sa Min was certain that, unlike Sa Juan who was the clan’s jewel, Sa Huiqing’s blessings were a mere way to persuade him to open the Ka.
This was indeed an opportunity for Sa Min to gain some force apples that he lacked.
But…
"Thanks for letting me know," Sa Min said with his cold voice and went on to unlock the door.
Sa Xen waved his hand and went back inside. "Gotta get back to cultivation."
With a sigh, Sa Min entered his dorm to cultivate as well.
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It soon grew dark, and it was that time of the day again. Qing Lian rode his gray, scratched, and rusty bike to the academy. This night was different. This time he had a companion, and he had to pick him up.
He pulled up outside one of the inner circle dorms and squeezed the horn. "Sa Min," and called out.
A couple of nosy disciples peeked out to see who had come on a bike. Bicycles were hardly comparable to the Rank 10 movement-type Yantras, but the fact that they required no pure force to operate—and their rarity—made their price much closer to that of Rank 10 Kas.
Moments later, Sa Min came out. He looked much better than before. Clean with cleaned clothes, and his hair pulled back nicely. But... with that expressionless face, Qing Lian could not see through him at all.
Sa Min just glanced at his bike, unimpressed, as he approached.
Sometimes it felt like he didn’t give a damn about anything. Sometimes, angry and serious and cold as hell. Other times, he appeared to be enjoying himself. Just yesterday in class, he had this smirk on his face, clearly enjoying the fact that he was getting on Qing Lian’s nerves.
Qing Lian just couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head.
What the fuck is up with him? he thought, then said, "Why so serious, man?"
His father had instructed him to get closer to Sa Min, to find out if the Lin family was truly the group behind him. It wouldn’t be a good start if he started with ‘What the fuck is up with you’.
Sa Min said nothing and he sat on the carrier, his feet on the side.
Qing Lian was looking back at him. "You know, you remind me of this man from the past." He didn’t lie. There was something strange between that man and Sa Min, but Qing Lian couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Sa Min continued to say nothing.
Qing Lian, seeing no reaction whatsoever, turned and set off, pedaling slowly away towards the cursed area.
Sa Min smiled. He gave up that easily?
….
The city was empty at this hour of the night.. Only a few people were on the street.
When they reached the center of the city, Sa Min, feeling bored, finally opened his mouth and shattered the silence: "Looks like you're quite the drinker," he said nonchalantly. "You know alcohol damages the Ba and reduces its lifespan, right?”
Besides the boredom, it’s not a bad idea to get close to Qing Lian. Sa Min also wanted to find out a few things if he could. Like how they came to know there is a Key here and its passway. Was it through an inheritance or something else entirely? Did anyone else know about the Key?
Sa Min was still very ignorant about this matter.
“That’s just bullshit.” Qing Lian chuckled mockingly. “Many people have been drinking for years and nothing has happened to their Bas. Besides, I only drink to drive attention away.”
“Hmm,” Sa Min murmured, unconvinced.
"I've brought another bottle for you too."
"You don't need to drink this heavily. Just pour some on your clothes, and you'll be fine." Sa Min smiled. “Or is it something else that makes you drink? Maybe it’s the guilt of killing all those innocent people? Or…I’ve heard you don’t like when people talk about your sister being fucked by the patriarch. Can she be the reason?”
Qing Lian suddenly speeded up. Sa Min could feel his rage coming from his silence.
Sa Mins’s smile stretched into a grin. Had it not been for Sa Min's importance to them, he would have thrown a punch at him, just as he had done to all those people who had dared to mock his sister.
The gentle night breeze fluttering some loose, long hairs on Sa Min face. Family….
Families and clans were a chain that held many people back.
You gave someone 10 force apples, and he would feel obligated to do anything you asked him to do, even if they didn't like it. Now, imagine the family that had brought you here, taken care of you, and protected you when you were unable to do so yourself.
A few people could break free from this chain. Fewer could escape the guilt of breaking free from this chain.
Qing Lian continues riding in anger.
After some time, he arrived at his intended destination. The cursed area was a dangerous place, and he halted on a street corner not far away from the Instigation and Justice Office center of this area.
With their cultivation, they could only dare to comb through the safer spots where they feared not getting robbed or worse. The troubled roads were probably left to other Qing members with a higher cultivation base, Sa Min thought.
Qing Lian locked his bicycle to a nearby pole and proceeded to open his carefully stitched backpack. He took out two long black bottles. "Take this one," he said solemnly, and gave it to Sa Min. "I'll assume you know what it is.”
Sa Min studied the bottle. Seemed normal and of glass, Glass-Smallway perhaps? “What Yantra does this Ka belong to?” He asked.
Qing Lian ignored Sa Min's question and continued his instruction: Still angry. “Spray only a drop every five steps.” He whipped out a tiny bottle, took a swig, and then handed it over to Sa Min. “Don't spray when we're within five steps either. We don’t have enough blood to waste. Oh, and don’t walk where I’ve already stepped on.”
Sa Min splashed some alcohol onto his clothing, handed back the bottle. One drop every five steps, huh? They think this is what is needed for the Key to react. But are they really sure or just making assumptions? he wondered before he said: "Why don't we take different paths? It will be more effective, save us some time and all."
Qing Lian chuckled, strode off. Two feet and he stopped, turned. “You're kidding. Right?”
Sa Min smiled at him and crossed over to the opposite side of the street.
He was on one side of the road, and Qing Lian on the other, like two pathetic drunk losers.
And thus, Sa Min's quest for a Key that led to an Immortal’s inner domain, have begun.