Gray arrived in Blue Lake Village and headed for Old Li’s shop. The weather was foggy today in the valley like most days, making it hard to see even five strides in all directions. It was a world white and easy to get lost in. His eyes could not help him and he relied on years of memory to find the correct way.

He reached the village much slower than usual but he was also distracted by daydreams of the beautiful fairy in his home. If he had been more observant, he would have seen the shifty teenager Ming stick his head out of the window of a nearby shed.

“What happened to you?” Old Li asked, seeing the silly grin on Gray face.

“Nothing,” Gray said and dropped his two sacks on the ground.

“More ores so soon? Youngsters work hard indeed, hehe. Let me see what you’ve got!” Old Li said and started sorting the rocks.

Old Li didn’t care that Gray was back so soon. All he cared about was profits.

“Iron, high quality as usual.” He nodded in approval. “My boy, I don’t know how or where you get these but I appreciate it! The usual price?”

“Yup. Also, do you have some extra medicine, for cuts and open wounds?”

Old Li looked him over, “Why… you don’t look hurt.”

“Uh… for… preparing. Yeah, I’m just being prepared.” Gray stumbled. “Oh, and also a sack of bread.”

Old Li shrugged and went around his shop gathering what Gray wanted. He came back with the same two sacks Gray brought in, one now filled with loaves of hard bread and the other with a small package of crushed herbs.

He handed Gray the goods as well as fifty copper in change.

“Anything else? No? Well then, get out of here and go make me more money!” Old Li chuckled and pushed him out the door.

Gray took the remaining coin to a hunter shop and bought enough dried meat to fill the second sack. He stashed the herbs in his shirt pocket and left the village, carrying the two sacks over his shoulders. He followed the main trail north that headed for the mining fields.

He didn’t get very far when a crowd stepped out of the fog, blocking his way. He grunted in annoyance when he recognized them. It was the Road Gang. They were an unsavory bunch and Gray had his mines stolen by them a couple of times in the past.

“Halt!” Old Road commanded.

Gray slowed and looked down on the older man.

Old Road was getting along in age but he still carried a stout body from a lifetime of mining. He was around a head shorter than Gray but just as wide around the waist. He had thick arms and thick legs that proved he was someone not to be messed with. Compared to his men who were younger and skinnier, Old Road was a true cultivator with decades of fighting experience.

But Gray wasn’t scared at all. Such a lifetime of so-called cultivation and hard work ended up being a bunch of useless crap. He and Old Road had already fought once over a year ago and the results weren’t good for the old miner. Gray’s sheer unnatural talent was overwhelming.

“What do you want old fart, you’re wasting my time,” Gray said gruffly, not bothering to hide his displeasure.

He took a step forward but had to stop. Another four people appeared behind the Road Gang, bringing the total blocking his way to ten. He recognized them as the group led by Hu from the other day.

“What do you losers want?” Gray snorted.

Ming walked up and stood next to Old Road like they had a good relationship.

“Fatass, did you think you could steal the meteorite without consequence? You better quietly hand over the stuff or else… you won’t like the result.” He said, his tone full of superiority.

He also tried to look menacing but just looked silly with his skinny body and dirty clothes.

Gray laughed. “Old fart, are you getting senile? Getting a little kid like him to speak for you?”

“You!” Ming wanted to say something but was shoved back by Old Road.

Old Road’s eyes narrowed. “Gray, don’t be rude. You stole the meteorite that we found. Now, I think it’s only right that you return what is rightfully ours, don’t think?”

“Go to hell.”

They were after his ‘meteorite’. He would never tell these dirty men about Xueling, not now, not ever. Who knew what crazy thoughts would pop into their heads if they saw her?

He didn’t feel like coming up with an excuse either. Strength talked in the valley. Since they planned an ambush here, they had already made up their mind.

Gray stepped forward, flexing his arms, “Who wants to get beaten up first? Old fart, do you remember when I whooped your ass so hard you couldn’t work for a month?”

“Youngster, don’t be so hasty.” A hoarse voice called out from behind.

Gray turned around and saw five hunters appear, each carrying bow and arrows or spears, armed to the teeth. He tensed and became sharply alert.

Hunters in the valley were much stronger than miners as they fought with spiritual beasts as a profession. They knew how to kill without blinking. They were the most dangerous people.

“Old Wu…”

He knew of this hunting party. They were one of the strongest in the valley. Old Wu was around the same age as Old Road but the two could not be compared. The experienced hunter was covered in scars from past battles and his sinewy body was filled with a bloody aura.

“Gray… where did you stash the meteorite?” Old Wu asked with a smirk, “I just stopped by Old Li’s shop and he said you only sold some common ore. You can’t possibly have the meteorite with you now, so you’ve hidden it somewhere. Perhaps it’s at your secret home that nobody can ever find.”

Gray frowned, “You believe their crap? I never found any meteorite, they’re lying.”

He was worried about Old Wu’s expression, who looked like he was hunting a fat juicy prey.

“I trust him over you. Old Road and I go way back.” Old Wu said and gestured at the sky, “And we all saw the meteor coming down the other day.”

He then pulled out a gleaming machete and brandished it, “Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Humans are pretty similar to beasts and I know how to make them scream.”

The hunters notched arrows to their bows. Their intentions were clear.

Gray held out his hands disarmingly, “Hey, hey, come on… Let’s talk about this. Look, I really don’t know what you guys are talking about. How about I give you all this bread and meat and we call it a day?”

As he spoke, he shuffled slowly backward toward Old Road, away from the dangerous hunters. He wasn’t trying to talk his way out but putting himself in a better position to fight his way through. He once again had to prove to these geezers that he wasn’t easy to bully. The hunters were too difficult so the only path was through the miners.

He backed up until he was within arm’s reach of the miners.

This was it and he exploded into action.

He threw the sacks in each hand at the hunters with all his strength. Turning around without looking at the result, he charged at the shocked miners.

“Go to hell!” He yelled.

Bam!

The first furious strike landed squarely on Ming’s face and the teen crumpled to the ground. He followed it up with a whirlwind of crude but powerful punches and kicks. Another man from the crew was the victim of a kick to the stomach and he flew back. Several pickaxes swung towards Gray’s head but he dodged deftly. More punches and kicks came his way but he blocked them and returned the favor with vicious strength.

By the time Old Wu reacted, Ming and two other miners were already on the ground.

“Bastard! Shoot him!”

Three hunters launched their arrows.

Searing pain erupted.

“Ahhh!” Gray cried out as two found him.

He staggered from the sharp pains in his back and his thigh. He lost concentration and suffered blows from the miners surrounding him.

Experienced hunters weren’t useless in a fight like miners. He was lucky he wasn’t hit in a critical spot. The wounds were still very serious and he couldn’t stick around here any longer.

He roared furiously and picked up an unconscious miner off the ground. He held the body out as a shield with one arm and continued to force himself through the sea of miners.

Seeing this, Old Wu charged forward with his machete, “Get him!”

Gray did not want to fight the old hunter. The vicious man was not an easy opponent, especially under the current circumstances.

With a burst of brute force, Gray threw the limp body of the miner back at Old Wu. It made a clean connection and sent him tumbling to the ground. Without the body in the way, the other hunters launched their arrows again but Gray was ready this time. He tracked the trajectories with his eyes and managed to dodge with unnatural speed.

“Kyahhh!” A random miner screamed as a stray arrow hit him instead.

With this opening, Gray finally kicked aside the last person blocking the path and broke through. He bounded forward like a startled deer and disappeared into the fog.

“Don’t let him get away!”

“Chase him!”

The men screamed but he was already out of sight.