《Crossing The Lands》16] - [Lesson (1)]
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Wu Tian was impressed. The feeling of power, the majesty his flesh emanated... It was incredible in every way. Just being possessed and made to do such profound moves, Wu Tian could almost feel enlightenment. But then, he realized.
...I... have to... clean this mess?
Nearly a hundred people, most of them corpses. All of them laid around defenseless. He also had to search each of them for treasures as well as loot the destroyed gambling house for money. All of it with a broken left arm, a bruised right arm, a strained skeleton and on the verge of fainting from overexertion.
Suddenly, I don't feel so impressed...
Before he could even begin, people gathered around the area. They watched him in disbelief. "Did this young man do all of that? Wasn't the boss of this place an expert?"
"I heard that the boss was a Warrior! Are you telling me this kid defeated a Warrior?! Stop the bullshit!"
"No, no! I saw it! I tell you, he really did it! It was super cool! He did this and that!" They all watched an old man flail around trying to replicate some of the moves. But since it happened lightning fast, he just looked like a clown that clearly did not see anything properly. "And then he soared into the sky and smashed with a mountain in hand and then- Argh! My back!"
The crowd sighed. This old man was too shameless!
Noticing the old lady and some staff members of the herbal shop to be here, Wu Tian frowned. He knew some of them to be Warriors. He could feel even more pressure than compared to the now dead boss.
"This is my loot. I hope that no one here will try to snatch it!" Wu Tian specifically watched for the herbal shop's reaction. This party was the strongest he currently knew and saw nearby. The old lady replied earnestly. "I don't think anybody here is willing to offend a Warrior over some coins. Though some may try. Our Flowery Vines Group is not interested in sullying our reputation, I wonder how others feel about this?"
Most people nodded, as rare were the people at the Mortal Realm. However, the old man who previously strained his back questioned it. "What about the authorities? Isn't the City Lord a Warrior too? I could see this greedy bastard doing this. Last time I went to help him clean his mansion, and guess what? He deducted a whole copper just because I accidentally broke a vase! The thing was only worth a couple silvers! What greed!"
The crowd raised a brow at the old man. Are you serious? This old man is senile! How is it greedy? I would've smacked your teeth out if it happened in my house!
Wu Tian ignored the bunch, crouching over the dead bodies, finishing the ones that were not yet dead. He always kept a glance locked onto the crowd.
They all watched him for tens of minutes. After all, it was the hot news of the neighborhood.
Almost half an hour later, Wu Tian finished, his torn pants filled with wealth. He wore a dozen necklaces, five rings and had his pockets bulging. He was now gathering the boss' rings that were blown away after his own body blew up. They were bloodied just like the rest.
In the end, each of his fingers were also filled with multiple rings. Now, he was ready for the big haul. Using his remaining strength to shatter the roof's fragments, he dug around, finding a few burlap sacks. He then clawed at the ground, taking coppers, silvers, golds and even platinum coins. His sacks were full of wealth as well as rubble.
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It had been two hours now. Standing back up, he could not find anything else. Looking back at the crowd, he had noticed a middle aged man and woman to be quite oppressive since a dozen or so minutes.
Aware of his gaze, the middle aged duo stepped forth. The man stroked his dark beard while ravishing the bags with his eyes. "Kid. You just took all of this wealth. Are you not going to share?" Obviously wanting to receive a piece of the pie, the crowd was in an uproar. "That's right! He should share!"
"Indeed! I also want some coins! I need to pay for my kid's martial school!"
"Bah! My niece's father's brother's friend's distant relative's dead cat needs treatment, shouldn't I receive at least ten golds for that?!"
"You don't even have a niece! What about you?" A curious bystander watching the show in confusion, he asked another man on the side. "Oh, me? I just want money."
"Well, at least you're honest..."
The middle aged woman butt in on the commotion. "Young man, hand over the platinum coins. We'll be kind and let you keep the rest."
Gazing at them calmly, Wu Tian spoke softly. "You want to rob me? I just killed the boss. He was almost a level three Warrior. If not for that, how could I end up this way? I was careless and ganged upon. Do you really want to offend me? Do you want my bruised three thousand pounds fist deep into your skull? We're both Warriors. You should be aware of how physical injuries aren't much to us. I can still fight."
Frowning at these words, the middle aged man looked around. He soon sighted the aftermath of Guizou's [Heart Echoing Fist]. The shockwave had caused destruction as far as the horizon. Even as a Warrior, he could not see the end of it. This turned his frown into a loud gulp followed by a shade of white creeping up his face.
He knew himself to not be the boss' match. This fear of such an expert's killer forced him to thread cautiously. Were some platinum coins worth it? He had cultivated for decades on end. He did not even need so much wealth in the first place!
With how pale his face became, the middle aged lady understood at a glance. She linked her arm around him, putting on a fawning smile. "We didn't realize this place to be a battlefield. We thought that it was only some quarrel. We apologize, we'll leave immediately. Have a nice day." Smiling internally, the middle aged man and his wife hurryingly left. As for the crowd, they were speechless.
Miss City Lord's wife is quick on the uptake! I guess we won't be making some free coins now...
These similar thoughts made most of the crowd disperse.
Sighing heavily, Wu Tian sat down. After a couple minutes, he wanted to just lie down and sleep. But, if he really did so, would he not become a prime target? He knew, his body knew. But he was simply too tired.
Almost falling asleep, Wu Tian jolted with a surge of energy. It had taken him four hours of peace and quiet to get back on his feet. With the remaining, clearly evaporating burst of energy, Wu Tian rushed back into the forest. He was hungry, but with how terrible he felt, he did not have the faith in himself to do anything other than sleep.
Back into a damp cave without light, lone in the dark, Wu Tian slowly opened his eyelids with a heavy grunt. "Damn."
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Trying to stand back up, he barely managed to sit. He looked around but could not see. It was most likely night. Shaking his head, he gathered his thoughts and sent Qi into the pendant. Like so, daylight soon arrived.
Finally able to see somewhat, Wu Tian was happy to truly be alone. No sleeping beast or cultivator. The cave was half brown, half grey with a faint purple shade. "Looks cold. Feels cold!" Some insignificantly small steam escaping his heavy breaths, Wu Tian then found multiple torn bags and sacks behind him. Nothing had spilled, but some sharp splinters and such did pierce through the different fabrics. But since they were inexpensive and more importantly stolen as well, he did not mind.
Taking a deep breath, he put them all in front of him, still sitting comfortably on the very uncomfortable ground. It was time to enjoy himself!
Taking one at random, Wu Tian then realized his body to also be full and covered in wealth. Should start there first...
After a few minutes, he had groups of items around him. A pile of rings, another of necklaces, some of coins and such. Now he could finally begin with the somewhat unknown. Alright! First one! Pouring it down as a mess of clunky sounds echoed throughout the cave, his eyes beamed. He saw dozens of copper coins and some silvers. There also were a lot of rubble and such, some sparse destroyed clothing and materials. He even took notice of a couple of cards in there. I forgot about them! If I can gather enough, I could play with master in our spare time. Unless I have to cultivate all day... Maybe I can learn how to cheat with cards and play other types of games too.
Clearly, Wu Tian was not convinced on playing without being guaranteed to win. Tasting defeat and losing wealth was not on his to-do list.
As for the good stuff... he was not good enough in any major field to understand his gains. First let's tidy all the loot and I'll ask master. Taking out another sack, he unloaded it up front. This time, there also were quite a few platinum coins. Nice haul!
Each sack was a mystery treasure, and by the end, he was shocked.
One, two, three, four...
...Nineteen...
Then there is....
...and that...
...if I add it up...
I'm shit at math...
Taking longer than a man his age should, Wu Tian managed to sum up the total gain in cash. Seriously... Twenty-one platinum coins, forty-three golds, seventy-seven silvers and twelve coppers... Plus our current amount of twelve golds and ninety-six silvers and twenty coppers... Damn.
A total of... Twenty-one platinum coins, fifty-six golds, seventy-three silvers and thirty-two coppers. And that's without selling any of this junk either!
Fucking rich!
"Master! Master! Wake up! We got a giant load of money! We can buy almost anything!" Feeling Wu Tian's enthusiasm, Guizou came out of the pendant. "Bastard! Stop shaking the pendant! You disrespectful twat! This is from my wife mind you!" Paling, Wu Tian began to softly caress the pendant, as if trying to brush off any dirt. "Haha..."
"As for the wealth..." Not bad. If we sell everything else, we could get close to a quarter of a diamond coin, if the conversion doesn't change obviously. And if there aren't any level between platinum and diamond... I feel a headache coming...
Gazing around, Guizou took notice of some decent artifacts. A ring to help feel more satiated, another to help breathe... a few for sleep... not much, not much...
Aiz! They were so damn poor! There really isn't much a Warrior can use... He also needs clothing, but with how tall they were, I doubt anything will fit. Not like there even is intact clothing here...
Pretty much everything only good as merchandise. A pity...
Not interrupting Guizou's scrutiny, Wu Tian soon heard him speak. "Kiddo, not a bad haul indeed. However, there really isn't much that you can even use in the first place. Clothes are torn, weapons are broken or on the verge to. The rubble, well it's rubble. The cards are fine if you're bored. The accessories are only pretty, but if they could still help slightly. Especially the ones from the fat guy. He had a couple Mortal level artifacts as rings. So, I think you could take these ones, also that one..." Spending a couple of minutes forming a pile of usefulness, Wu Tian then heard something else.
"Kid, why didn't you feel fear when facing off these weapons? I expected at least a flinch from you." Scratching his nose, Wu Tian smiled awkwardly. "Master, I know right? I didn't feel I would be this good. I just thought they were not that dangerous anyway. Even if I get cut, what can it do t-" "Stop right there." Shutting his mouth, Wu Tian then understood that his master was not praising him. It was the opposite!
"Brat! Are you not disrespecting weapons too much?! Not just that, artifacts as well. Especially artifacts actually. Today you fought against regular, average weapons that anyone can use. They were only as good as kitchen knives! In the future, you will fight against more wealthy opponents. People that know their strengths. The beasts as well! Their claws and fangs will get sharper! You also have to take into consideration internal damage due to pressure!"
"You might feel incredible. In the Mortal Land, just the fact that there are so many Warriors in this small town is simply a miracle. The city lord being a level one Warrior is impressive but not out of this world. The gambling house's boss was a level two Warrior, understandable. He probably just came from far away and settled here. As for the herbal shop, their Warriors are from a big group in the entire Land."
Wu Tian listened quietly.
"So, yes, in the Mortal Land, you are indeed worthy of being an expert already. But that's only when looking at the overall situation! The more resources you need, the more dangerous the surroundings will become! The more useful the area or resources, the more powerful the coveters! And the more powerful the opponents, the more careful you should be! You might be a Warrior, but in front of a level three or four Warrior, you are nothing! Let alone against a One Star and above!"
"And the worst is... do you know what's worse?" Guizou awaited, happily seeing Wu Tian properly ponder on his question. He was not surprised at a shake of the head. "I guessed so. You don't know. The worst part right now is your indifference to potential injuries!"
"Kiddo... so what if you're a Warrior? So what?! You get a cut on your finger, you bleed out and die! You get hit by a powerful strike and you die because you bled out internally from a popped organ! Maybe you break your spine and become paralyzed! Maybe you get hit in the head and die from brain damage! Maybe you break a bone and it impaled an organ! Maybe you get poisoned to death! Maybe you get cursed to death! Maybe you get paralyzed to death! Maybe you get this to death, maybe you get that to death!"
"Do you understand?! You're a Warrior, yes. But in the end, you're just a mortal with more resilience and strength! Look at me!" Wu Tian felt incredible pressure from Guizou's gaze. He could not refute a single word. He indeed believed himself to be somewhat indestructible. He was ashamed and scared.
"Look at me kid! You have to understand that I died too! I got stabbed and died! My heart, my torso, all of that slashed apart! A blade that you make fun off, killed me! It killed me! A damn Nine Skies powerhouse! I could survive mountains falling on top of me while sleeping, but an offensive artifact killed me! A blade did!"
It was the first time Wu Tian saw his master so agitated. The pressure suffocated him. He did not realize how frail he was. How frail a cultivator could be.
He suddenly felt like his toned muscles were paper and that his organs were only waiting to perish while dragging him along.
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