Crouching on the tip of a ravine while hidden in some bushes, I sigh as I take in the view of the gigantic mountain in front of me. While I view the expansive green landscape before me, Basheera is watching for any guards. 

He had warned me about the security in the mountain and it seems to be true. Having watched the people down below for at least three hours, I noticed that the number of guards is far inferior to the number of workers, but there are at least twenty guards and all have the aura of true experts.

Ever since I started to travel with Basheera a couple of days ago, I learned a bit more in-depth about the mountain and how it all works thanks to the panther's information.

The basic of it is that the mountain is one of the rare places in the Qian empire where Azure crystals can be mined, these crystals are made from the concentrated Qi existing in the atmosphere that is used to feed the Azure dragon eggs.

These Azure dragons are not true dragons but something like the fantasy wyverns from earth, and they gained their name because of their blue eyes and blue pair of wings while the rest of its body is colored jade.

What interested me the most was, of course, the Crystals mined here. One egg can produce up to two hundred crystals and one crystal can go for 5 gold coins which for the previous Li was a lot of money. 

Everyone covets these azure crystals because it can be used to expand the Qi pool and help the cultivation in leaps and bounds, especially for the Qi refining stage.

Of course, all of this information was not free as I had to plead with Basheera for it.

'Stubborn animal and its pride, making me grovel for any information about the guards and workers.' 

Shaking my head before I resent the things Basheera had me do for the information - like climbing a steep rock wall to get a special healing plant - I once again focus on finding an opening to search for Yao Chen. 

The only time the guards ease their watch is when dinner is served, or so the panther says so we wait for the sun to set and I start to meditate on the Daos to increase my understandings. 

Although I had meditated for the last couple of days, no results had shown on my status, as no percentage of comprehension on the elemental Daos seemed to increase.

I had used various methods to increase comprehension in the Dao of water, earth, wood, and steel but they all had failed and as such, I went from the excitement of grinding away at my status, to frustration over the whole ordeal. 

Having enough of it, I had tried to talk to Basheera about how one could increase the understanding of the Dao but all he gave me was a vague answer about enlightenment and how it was a fickle mistress.

*****************

As always, nothing happens while I meditate except for time going faster and as so, I start to make preparations to invade the camp.

'Well, an invasion is a strong word as I am going to actually stealthily approach them, or try anyway.'

Looking at the sleeping panther next to me I slowly get up and say.

"Its time, are you sure they let their guard down after dinner?"

'I live in forest for long time, I know because I have hunted here in past.'

"Well, ill just have to trust you then, right?" With a sarcastic remark, I signal for the start of our little incursion. "Let's go then!" 

I follow Basheera out of our hiding spot and head towards the encampment. We try to make the less noise possible as even at night the guards are still alert to any movement.

I watch from afar as two guards talk loudly while laughing about the good profit they had in the mines this month, while they survey their surroundings with an attentive gaze. 

Even if we tried to avoid the medieval-looking barracks that make up the camp were the miners and guards sleep, we couldn't due to the positioning.

The main barracks for the guards were positioned next to what the panther had called the 'vault' and the complex was located around two hundred meters of the mine entrance, the vault was where they stored all the stones collected throughout the month, this was also heavily guarded by experts and formations that were at least at the Foundation establishment, only that at this time of the day, there were only two guards on standby.

*****************

Looking at the guards and people strolling towards the barracks to call it a day, we paused in the cover of a few bushes at the limits between the mines and barracks and whisper.

"We're here, but be careful there's still candlelight everywhere and don't forget that people at the foundation establishment have better eyesight than normal people."

Barely seeing the panther nod at my side, I marvel at Basheera's camouflage ability as we continue to stealthily but slowly approach the mines that are about one hundred meters in front of us. But as we neared our objective, right at our backs a commotion broke out.

Struggling to continue and not look back at the agitated voices I push through to the entrance of the mine where all the workers had left to either eat or sleep.

'Funny humans, always fight over petty things...'

Stopping in my tracks, I allow myself to curiously turn my head to look at the panther that had fallen behind delighted at the confrontation. I looked towards the dimly lited sturdy building that doubled as a vault where three people had congregated.

Two of them were having a heated exchange about the third person, who was laying on the floor unmoving and on a pool of his own blood.

Strengthening my ears with Qi to hear the conversation, the first sound that greeted me was the rough and raspy voice of a man. 

"Shut up, Nie Ling...He asked for this the moment he entered the mining grounds!"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

The man's voice faded into nothing after the explosive outburst while a new cool and refreshing voice said.

"Han Shi, you are a hired guard, not one of the Warrant Judges that can beat people up." 

Both seemed to be like fire and water, arguing about an individual who had wandered around the mines and had got caught.

"He came here to steal not from our sects but from the Empire, what do you think the Warrant Judge will do with him after he knows this fact? He will surely punish him into forced work here in these very mines, so a little punishment is obviously to be ensued."

Having said this the man pointed towards the third person who was tall but also somewhat plump, with dark short hair and a white ro-

'Yao Chen!'

My spirit that had been calm until that moment suddenly turned into a raging storm at the sight of a mangled and bloodied Yao Chen.

Mindlessly walking towards the entrance of the brown vault that exuded a blue hue, I prepare to attack the two guards, but before I even reach the one-hundred-meter mark, I was stopped by Basheera with a wind technique that made me lose my footing.

Looking begrudgingly at my only ally in the whole azure mountain I said.

"What are you doing? I have to save him, look at the blood on the ground, it might be fatal."

'You wait, they leave and we take the friend, ok?'

Shock cruises through my body as I process the first kind words I hear the animal say to me from the beginning of our journey. Basheera had been an all-around asshole the whole time we spent together and he had shown no kindness to me nor to any other living being.

"I-I, why? I mean yes, right, we should wait and make a plan."

'Good, calmer is good.'

Inhaling and exhaling I calm my nerves and once again look at the young man laying on the floor at the two cultivators feet.

'I wonder why I'm doing all of this for him, he was Li's friend, not my friend. Sure I have a debt to repay but that's not all, right? I'm sure Nick would have some kind of fancy name for my mental state and he would go running to my daughter with whatever peaceful and soothing environment was the best for me in that particular week.'

A heavy feeling presses against my chest and I try to forget it, forget the reality of my life, the reality of never seeing the ones I love again and lastly the reality were I am nothing but a child with too much strength in a world where people kill for sport.

Clenching both my teeth and fists, I slowly steel my resolve to save Yao no matter what it takes. I know that my behavior is classic projection, where I deny my own situation and place all my concerns and worries on to another more 'irrelevant' subject, but even so, I can't stop.

'We wait, search inside and retrieve friend...simple no?'

Looking at the smug smile that the panther was comically trying to mimic I place a hand over my mouth while trying to hold down a childish giggle but miserably fail. 

I quickly lift my head in horror and look for the two cultivators at the vault, only to notice both of them gone.

Almost as if a six sense like sp*der-m*n to warn me, I sense someone approaching me from behind with repressed killing intent. Turning around as fast as I can, I watch as two breath-taking turquoise eyes look at me in the dark in what I assume to be hatred and rage.

Quickly dodging the downward vertical slash of a silvery object, I jump backward while being alert for an attack from the other person who I had assumed to be the male guard.

Having dodged the strike, the woman's brow furrow as she looks at me with a piercing yet confused gaze while twirling her sword into a defensive stance. 

Feeling for her aura with my spirit sense I notice that the girl is only at the late stage of the Foundation realm, which rules her out as a real threat to me. Looking out from the corners of my eyes I search for Basheera and before my eyes can see it, the sound of battle reaches my ears as I confirm that the man went to confront the panther.

"Give up! We don't want to fight anyone, I just want my friend." 

With a finger pointed at Yao and my eyes focused on the mesmerizing turquoise eyes, I slowly say to her.

"You want the thief? impossible, once a person is caught stealing from us we make a report with the name, description and the crimes committed. That, in turn, goes to the nearest warrant city and they send a warrant judge to deal with the burglar!"

The woman informs me in blind rage as she states the consequences of Yao Chen's acts.

"I don't care, all I want is my friend back and you, a Foundation establishment like yourself won't be able to stop me, to be honest."

"Ridiculous what can a mere child like you do against so many of us in the barracks?"

"Well..."

Roughly calculating my power I start to circulate my Qi and prepare to use my mirror step technique while the girl with beautiful eyes looks in surprise at the change in atmosphere. 

With a sudden movement my body blurs and to her surprise, I appear behind her. Trying to control my strength like I had been practicing for the last two days in the forest I use a bronze kick that hits her on the side and sends her flying like a ragdoll through the floor.

Panicking at the thought that I might have killed someone for the first time, I approach the unconscious girl using my spirit sense to check for any mortal wounds, but to my relief, she only had a broken arm and a couple of bruises.

Turning to look at the other battle, I see Basheera fight a tall and muscular man with fiery red hair. The man was desperately trying to hit the panther with a mace-like weapon but unfortunately, every time it was about to hit, the panther dodged gracefully as if mocking the man, he even taunted with openings to his sides and head.

"Stop playing, you dumb panther, there might be other people around."

With a low growl of dissatisfaction from the panther, I watch as its speed increases tremendously catching the man off-guard and ending the battle swiftly with a full-on charge to his chest. 

The man, barely able to breathe and unconscious too was about to be finished off by Basheera with a swipe of his claw when I intervened.

"Don't kill him! If attacking this man is bad enough that the empire would have me work as a slave, then killing him would be even worse, I fear we would both die."

Looking at me as if I had forbidden him from eating the most majestic piece of meat he'd ever encounter, Basheera slowly lowered his massive paw and walked back towards me.

'We had agreement, no humans...you broke promise.'

Ignoring the childish remark I look at both of the unconscious guards that seemed like rich young nobles and my thought were confirmed by searching their objects. Reaching down I take the beautifully crafter blue ring of the man and store it in my more than filthy robes. Turning my attention to the girl I notice that she only had a small pouch on her waist that I also took.

Not willing to spend much more time around the barracks I turn towards Yao Chen's unconscious body while hurriedly walking towards it.  

Reaching Yao while checking for anybody in sight I say to the panther.

"Look you should have known that running into people could be a possibility, we're already wanted criminals for doing this, but if you kill someone they would probably come after us with even more intent to harm us. I mean, they would make me a slave but you, they would probably kill you in a hear-"

Unable to finish my sentence I unexpectedly feel a heavy strike in the back of my head, staggering while I try not to fall to the ground, I immediately look back at the only one near me. What greets me is the behind of a big cat who is looking back at me in a mocking manner.

In a faked rage, we throw insults at each other as we examine the vault-like structure in front of us.

Big and sturdy, it raises ten meters into the air while the hue of the formations shines dimly on the candlelight. After a few minutes examining the vault and reaching the conclusion that breaking into it and steal its contents would bring more problems than knocking out two guards, I say to Basheera.

"Help me carry Yao, you should put him on your back as it will be more easy to take him with us."

After arguing with Basheera about his prideful self and his sacred back, we reach a compromise by allowing him to travel in his back as long as he was unconscious and so we attempted our escape.