‘’They don’t seem that hardened, sir. Have you not taken them out on a field?’’

‘’They are the first year students, Trainee. You need to know where and how to assess the capabilities of the students.’’

‘’What do you mean by where may I ask?’’

Man, or the mentor, turned to face and confront, to assert the importance of his words and prove the importance he put into this matter, acknowledged with a nod.

‘’Will you judge a soldier on how he behaves in his home, or will you behave according to how a lord acts in his bed? Assessing People should be in whether they are proficient in what they are doing, not by how they look otherwise.’’

‘’Sorry, sir,’’ Gaobun’s beard, which he never trimmed or tidied since they grew for all his life created a sense of oppression, a foreboding feeling of catalyzer for a wildfire of discussion, and awoke the mentor; For he felt what had he done as a necessity led to a path of fervent conversation about the nature of youngsters who never would know how their fate could end.

But not this time, his tempered and shattered and brought back together experiences said, was the most suitable one to hold an intense subject as such for the main dish of their meal. This all, he derived in the split second before Gaobun finished the other half of the sentence that spilled from his mouth.

‘’But I can’t connect the examples and my question together. Can you open it up for me?’’

‘’Perhaps another time,’’ Mentor touched his dried wrinkles of time and was, in the most brutal way, reminded of his last point at the end of the road. Only, his road had little way left to go. ‘’Some will leave in a while for the work in mines and others will attend the military education class. Between that there is a half an hour break, you can do whatever you wish.’’

‘’I understand sir, thanks beforehand for your consideration.’’ Gaobun bowed down, then rose up in a flash. ‘’We are getting paid to tolerate likes of you, but I’ll accept the gracious offer.’’ Another tie was another karma. Mentor never burdened himself with the ties like of his old acquaintances, and without proper justification to prove himself, actually, benefitted in every other way in life. That is, except, cultivation.

This could be why he never broke into The Essence Realm.

‘’Alright!’’ His voice livelier and stature grander, with a voice as strong as a fierce lion, the mentor Russell Kalthakbreaker shouted, ‘’It is Noon break, go get your meals now. If I see one of you eating or drinking any sugary product, I’ll hang you from your ears on the gate of the class!’’

‘’Yes teacher!’’ The vigor of the youth, ah! How beautiful! His wife would utter, if she hadn’t busied herself with those embroidery lessons and, for once, came to look at his art pieces. Each bead of sweat and tear of blood dripping down from these able and refined bodies gave another sense of pleasure and satisfaction; this was what it meant to be a warrior, he knew.

‘’Then what are you waiting? Get the hell out!’’

Even their marching speed and coordination, although lacking, had an impact on how his heart beat throughout the day. Imagining himself and these boys and girls in the field, defending and attacking together, cutting through the enemy ranks and severing their tails, ambushing their flanks, crushing their formations, taking down their enemy leader, and at last returning back to their homelands as either heroes or martyrs gave the most unknown and fervent surge of exaltation he could feel in this long rotten body.

‘’Then I will take my leave, too, sir.’’ Gaobun said and left through the gate after. For Russell, who looked up and down at the back of this young man whose ripened body could be a valuable asset in the upcoming season test, yet, what left was the presence of an annoying soul. Maybe aware, maybe not, he could feel this patriotic freak’s contempt of him from a mile away. Heck, even a blind man could see his disgust for Russell.

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Then why was he detested by a new trainee, despite showing his utmost sincerity and intimacy(His use for both these words differed in action and telling.) for gaining the approval of equal rank of a cultivator? What he could deduce came out to be little and unworthy for the bother, so Russell also wouldn’t take on a job as such.

Here came, at the exact moment, the most awaited look from the trainee Gaobun, a man of power and zealous for his sect, traits easy to derive from his comments of Cindersnow and Masters of it. A piercing light of unholy hatred, unreserved and without constraint, that burned through the thickest of the mental barriers an introvert maniac could have and settled inside the dark pool of mind.

I will dig out your eyes and chew on them like gum! He wanted to shout, but held in. Then flashed a gracious smile and left towards his and his colleagues’ private room. When the heavy burden of the sight, a fear-inducing one at that, left with its origin, a tad bit too slow for a person like that, did Russell let the sigh and anxiety out with a breath.

‘’I hate working here,’’ he muttered, took large strides to the spacious chamber’s opened door, cursed thrice inside once outside, and greeted a dozen of teachers gathered in the room with a hearty laugh.

‘’Willy ate Wonka’s chocolate again? Poor bastard!’’

*********

‘’My master awaits you, m’lord.’’

Bowed down, with a soft tone, said gatekeeper and let the man pass through the scarce trodden path of Ansuluc Manor. Then it stood up as it had been doing for the past five years, without stop, and continued to guard the gates of his creator’s home.

Meanwhile, the man at the age of his prime decided to shave his brown beard once he got back home. My wife will be happy, too Adorned on his mortal body stood the handiwork of his own family’s smiths and seamsters, the holder of the city of Yardatafos under the name of Cindersnow. He did not like the purplish tone, but like the always, he wore for the sake of his daughter.

Thinking of the little cute monster alone made it much easier to climb up the godforsaken mountain. By the time he reached to the top, after an hour of struggling and drowning in sweat, the sun started to settle down like a retired old man and flashed the last smile of light of the day. Sid also smiled, then turned to look at the manor of his old master.

Broken down gates, rotten wooden tops and pillars, cracked stone walls and the smell of toxic matters and the clogged scum in the dried up well; All showed how unattentive he acted. Acceptable, actually, Sid thought, If he can move his finger on his own, then it is a miracle in itself now.

He strode towards the inside and peeked at the empty mossy hallways of the two-story building. These are all past memories, huh? He glanced at a certain place in one of the rooms. A still, worn down book stood open wide. He entered and gazed at the contents, flashed a smile, and took the book with him.

He felt like whistling but feared that the place would get destroyed from the sound, so with great regret he reached in front of the rooms of his master. ‘’May I come in, master?’’ He said aloud and barged into without any response. He then saw the old man laying down on the small bed, his eyes moved around like an angered ox. Then they locked on him, his pupils shrank, then turned into bright stars.

He said something, but Sid couldn’t hear. Then his master’s gaze fell onto the book he held. They leaped up in joy and in fury at the same time. ‘’I’m sorry, master, I shouldn’t have taken it without permission,’’ Sid said and sat down next to him. Then he could hear the voice of his master.

‘’You’ve come with the book. You’ve read the book, haven’t you? What did it read, tell me. What did it read?’’

‘’It said Every path leads the same, and yours is the same.’’

‘’Time has come, my disciple. Get that rope over there, and hang it on to the ceiling!’’ A weakened voice as such had an ability to pack this much emotion? Sid didn’t know how. He complied with the order and awaited further instruction.

‘’Now take me up and hang there’’ Sid nodded to that as well and carried his master like a princess, put him on a small stool and crossed the rope around his neck. ‘’Thank you, my child. I will see you later in nether.’’

‘’Take care master, this is all I could do for you,’’ Sid replied and kicked the stool. The rope tightened and old man’s neck broke, his unconscious body struggled for a little and blood flowed from the orifices. Then it ceased.

‘’See you later then, master.’’