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96.89% Learning To Live As A Cultivator / Chapter 312: Chapter One Hundred and Twelve - This feels familiar, but not...

Chapter 312: Chapter One Hundred and Twelve - This feels familiar, but not...

Looking at his old 'Master' now, Tor had no wavering feelings in his heart, just shame.  Shame regarding what had occurred during those times they'd both walked these grounds together.  He glanced with cold eyes at the other man and also cast a glance over the youths that followed him here now.  There was a flicker of interest; they did not appear to be Caprian's usual lackeys...

It wasn't hard to make a deduction of how Caprian came to be here; his family must have made the decision to enrol him into another school.  Considering the reputation of the Red Savage Sands Force, the fact that the Mage Tower's school did not accept bribes (just high, annual tuition fees) and that the Azure Heights Finishing school was for girls, then it was likely Caprian had enrolled into the Qilin Academy of Excellence. 

Tor inwardly sighed.  If not for Caprian's innate, but unused talent, how else would he have swept the previous situation under the carpet to gain this chance?  He doubted that the other had changed his lazy habits, however.

Sure enough; "Why isn't it that my friends are interested in discovering the great talents hidden within the Institute's alchemy school?"

*****

Leon tossed the dirty water soiled from the breakfast dishes onto the wild flowering patch outside his courtyard home.  Stalks holding blossoms of white, purple, yellow stretched tall over smaller plants with pink, red, blue at their hearts, while grasses with jade green droplets dangled over everything else.  The tallest plants could easily reach Leon's slender waist and none were worse for wear considering the grey and other waste waters tossed over them from time to time.

The flowers began to move without the aid of the wind and two large bright eyes peered out from in amongst them.  Leon shook his head and sighed.  It was good that these wild flowers were hardy, or how else would they survive the frequent abuse of both man and feline?

Jin Li had left earlier with Wu Ye, hunting for whatever meat they could find and kill in the wilds of the mountains for their bottomless stomachs.  Li Ming had remained behind as the small alchemist's guard supposedly.  Few true guards would abandon their duties to track and chase butterflies after all.  The prey was indeed quite large, about the size of Leon's palm and it was attractive, but surely not much of a meal once caught. 

Li Ming leapt out of the flowers, spraying petals and pollen everywhere as it clawed at it's prey... and missed.  The butterfly nonchalantly drifted on a convenient breeze up and out of reach.

The coeurl stared after it longingly before seeking pity from its Master.

"There, there?"

Apparently, Li Ming was that easy to satisfy, lowering its neck to nuzzle Leon's chest with its large head.

Just as Leon began to reciprocate, stroking that soft halo main about its head and neck, a loud barking caught their attention and their first thoughts were that Brother Tor was coming to visit. However, here was Xiao Xiao running up to them frantically, but no beast tamer in sight.

Xiao Xiao used its teeth to grip the hem of Leon's sleeve and tugged it with a growing whine. Li Ming growled in response, a warning, to which the Cooshee quickly responded;

'Master says that I should protect human Leon from the bad humans wanting to hurt him.'

'Bad humans? Wu Ye says bad humans can't come to this place with Master's aura... why so worried?'

'Master's family was threatened by the bad humans, Master felt he had no choice but to lead them here. But if human Leon is out of their reach, then the bad humans will have to go away again.'

Naturally the one they communicated about only heard a series of barks and growls, couldn't know of the danger and instead tried to calm the beasts down. After all, every human on Earth understood that felines and canines seldom got along. But seeing that they weren't engaging in all out war, just exchanging a few warnings, Leon decided to just keep an eye on the situation while returning to his house with the washing up bowl. As he did so, he felt an extensive hard warmth push at his back, forcing him to hurry forward and nearly causing him to trip. He glanced back to see Li Ming's large head was responsible.

"Wah! W-what are you d-d-doing?"

'Hurry!'

'Too late!'

"Tch, trying to confuse me by taking us the same way... isn't that just like what you did in the past? Traitorous bastard."

A wave of unwelcome familiarity washed over Leon, just as the mist thinned within his mind around a few still forgotten memories, all containing a particularly unpleasant figure with a smirking sneer and a wide girth. He couldn't help but reflexively shiver.

Caprian, by himself, was not a frightening man; his soft, round face while not handsome, was not something scary or unappealing.  However, his attitude was frightening, the way he regarded so many of the students as grass beneath his feet, how he perverted others, gathering them around himself and having them do his dirty work while he watched.  Even now there was a crowd gathered behind him and a shamefaced Tor unhappily dragging his feet beside him. 

However, the situation felt greatly different from the scene in one of his memories. For one thing, though the posture of his former bully was still expressing his cruel pride, it lacked a bit of his former confidence. Also, these youths behind him did not appear to be currying favour with Caprian... in fact, if Leon wasn't wrong, these youths looked upon Caprian with some disdain. 

That look he'd seen in the eyes of his lover too often to mistake it. 

But before he could question it in his own mind, Caprian's beady eyes found him.

Although Leon could see varying differences in Caprian, the other's eyes saw only what he wished to see which was a trembling villager boy who was humble and meek before his mighty presence. Behind him however, the youths steps hesitated as they glanced about themselves; what weak, isolated country bumpkin that had been exiled to the periphery under Caprian's underhanded guidance? Wasn't that a walled courtyard property not a tumbling down hut? And wasn't that a young adult Coeurl beside him? His clothing did not appear to be tattered and patched either for all it still appeared to be made of cheaper cloth.

However, they then considered Caprian's previous boast, that this youth had accidentally made adjustments to the Beast Calming Pill that the Teachers had mistakenly thought was his doing, only to cover up their mistakes by expelling him when realising this. Although they did not wholly believe the large youth's claims, seeing that the structure was fairly new in fact and that this village born man wore a small amount of silver and jade, they calculated that the youth had indeed created pills that garnered him such benefits. Their resolves settled and expectations increased. Wasn't it still just a commoner before the mighty them? Wasn't it just a pet Coeurl yet to have felt the tamer's whip? Exchanging looks, they stepped forward ready to claim what they had come for.


Chapter 313: Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen - My recipe really isn’t worth this

"W-why are you h-here?" The soft stuttering passing though those pale lips hinted at what the three irrepressible youths believed; this persimmon was ready to pick. Look at him quavering before them!

As their sense of self inflated behind their large bodied guide, that person himself just sneered.  Stupid peasant, still couldn't speak properly, yet the Heavens were too kind to him, revealing their secrets on such an unworthy commoner rather than someone with excellent lineage like himself.  The Heavens were truly blind.

"Naturally isn't it because Laozi has unfinished business with you?!" Caprian replied, haughtily, attempting to thrust out his chins in what he believed was an imposing manner.  Leon failed to notice, seeming to seriously consider the other's words for a breath before shaking his head.

"N-no, I c-can't think of anything," he replied honestly, causing Tor, who'd slipped to one side ready to apologise to Leon at anytime for his part in bringing Caprian here at any moment, to chuckle behind his fist.  Caprian glared at him, causing him to stifle his chortles behind a fist while calming himself, threats regarding his family still hanging over his head like an executioner's axe.  In all honesty, Tor didn't believe that Caprian wouldn't take out his temper on his family the first moment he could in the future, but if he had at least time to warn them... after that, their fate was in their own hands.  He was powerless to do more for his mother and brother now.

Leon knew nothing about the undercurrents between Tor and his former Master, only understanding that Caprian was here to trouble him.  If it were in the past, Leon would believe that Caprian was here to steal his pills, but... would he still do that now that the witnesses had changed and were no longer his faithful paid followers.  His eyes couldn't help wander to Tor, seeing that he had once been amongst those people. However, even if he could not interpret the messages in Tor's eyes, he couldn't fail to know what Xiao Xiao's protective growls beside him (Leon) meant.

"Lowly born commoner dare argue with me?!" Caprian's face began to redden in anger and embarrassment. He gritted his teeth as he tried to compose himself wanting to howl and rage about how Leon was responsible for him being expelled and lets not forget to heap the payment owed for the beating he received by that tall martial artist's hand!

It did occur while he'd last been in the vicinity of the hovel... it suddenly occurred to him that that hovel was no longer the only building in this area. Had that martial artist moved here, building this courtyard beside the small hut in order to do so? But then, he didn't see him around... whatever! He was just one martial artist! Caprian now had at his back three of formidable students from his current school, two on the verge of breaking through to tertiary, while the third had long since breeched said level of cultivation! There was nothing to be concerned about!

He cleared his throat then continued to announce his intentions. "We all know what you did!" He insisted but added with the air of someone who felt as if they were being magnanimous; "I'm feeling generous today. You only need to offer me a small token of recompense, this time and I will consider us even!"

Leon frowned, not saying anything, feeling that not only the token Caprian wanted would not be small, it would likely wipe him out of inventory...

"Hand over the amended recipe for the Beast Calming Pill!"

... huh? "W-wait what?" It was then that he suddenly recalled the matter that Caprian was expelled for.  "Oh..."

That was it?  Not that he planned on giving it away just because Caprian demanded, but that particular pill, it was only a basic pill, learned by alchemists on the beginning of their journey in order to help tame weak beasts for beast tamers on the beginning of theirs... but despite everything, despite saving lives and it being a better overall product than its original, it's market value wasn't very high.  Weak beasts were weak beasts, they were numerous and plentiful, few cared in this world over the deaths of a percentage of them due to a pill, which was only needed by the weakest of tamers.  That and there were not few aspiring beast tamers that deemed these weakest of potential partners unworthy of their attentions; they'd much rather try for strong, rare or 'quality' beasts.

Regardless, the amended recipe had already been given to the Institute and Leon had even heard that there was a group of beast-loving inner school seniors currently using it's formula to help inspire them to improve others in this line of pills; the beast soothing and beast x pills.  Rumour had it that for the former, there had even been a few positive results...

"The b-b-beast calming p-pill recipe," Leon stumbled over the phonics that often caught him off guard as he tried to clarify, "that, the Institute already h-has it.  I g-g-gave it to..."

"Then hand over something of equal value," one of Caprian's ill-intended shadows suggested.  "Another new or amended alchemy recipe, perhaps?" 

The youth seemed brimming of much greater a level of arrogance than Caprian and the air of wealth.  The cut of the silks that lined his body were perfectly fitted to suit his height and shape and the simple embroidery was of an unfamiliar pattern, but the tiny stitches melded together to create seamless and flowing lines over the dark material.  The belt around his waist was decorated with drops of translucent jade and hints of pure yellow gold. Two long knives crossed the arch of his back while two shorter blades lay upon his hip, all sheathed in dark, metal.  His eyes were narrowed and although he was offering Leon a smile, it didn't appear the least bit amicable.  Leon couldn't prevent the shiver that trailed down his spine. 

He shook his head, attempting to reassure himself.  Although this person looked dangerous and strong, he felt that he wasn't anymore dangerous nor stronger than his lover.  But Leon also didn't wish to rely on Jin Li all of the time and although he knew he himself would never win against the three youths behind Caprian even if all three had their hands tied behind their backs, he hoped that he, at least, had the ability to reason with them.

It's a pity that in this world, shows of strength were what most used in anything resembling a negotiation in this world rather than words; whether they believed him when Leon told them that he had nothing that was of equal value (he really didn't, everything was worth much more than that one...) or not was irrelevant.  They were determined to take whatever valuables the 'soft persimmon' in front of them had.


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