Chapter 16: I need goons!
'What the hell?! You can't just do that!'
[Timer is running~]
'At least give me a month! You're being unreasonable!'
[You're just lazy, young people these days. Sigh~]
'You..!!!'
Li Renjie was about to go mad.
These were his eyes!
How could she just take them from him?!
First causing his body to go all crazy and now coming after his eyes?
Taking a deep breath he became unnaturally calm.
After a moment he smiled and responded.
'Big sister, your right! This is what I needed to get myself moving. I'll mend my ways!'
[Stop compl…huh?]
The system paused and Li Renjie could have sworn he saw her squirm.
[Kya~ See, I knew you would understand. Don't worry, your big sister won't let you down! I'll make you the greatest!]
The system acted as if she were a completely different person!
Her voice had actually jumped up two octaves!
Shudder!
Li Renjie was frightened by this total personality shift.
Who was this moe character?!
He didn't have time to bother with her anymore, shifting his attention to the timer he quickly began to plan!
He couldn't lose his left eye!
It still hadn't shown its true might!
The ships weren't a problem.
He could just steal them.
What he needed now were goons!
Lucky all of this aligned well with his plans.
He quickly picked up his pace and went to find Zhang Wei.
During this entire affair Xueyue felt as if she was watching a play.
Li Renjie would occasionally stop and flail his arms wildly in the air or ball them into fists and stomp on the ground without warning before returning back to normal.
Matched with his strange appearance, he looked like quite the character.
'Brother Ren sure is…interesting,' she quietly thought to herself.
Zhang Wei was busying himself in the main residence when he suddenly heard footsteps, turning around he saw Li Renjie and Xueyue making their way over, they seemed to be in a rush.
Just as he was about to greet them, Li Renjie suddenly took a giant step forward and looked him dead in the eyes.
"Brother Zhang."
"Uh...yes?"
"I need you to be honest with me…ok?"
"…."
'What's happening?' Zhang Wei shuddered seeing the strange look in Li Renjie's eyes.
"Ok…."
"Are there any kind of bandits or pirates around the island? The further away from the city the better, but not too far."
Zhang Wei found the question strange but tilted his head up to think regardless.
"There are indeed pirates around the island, however they avoid the larger cities due to the constant patrols, that and they don't want to antagonize any of the major powers. That being said, they do still prey on smaller convoys, as well as pillaging the occasional small town or fishing village. There are larger fleets lead by powerful pirates, they are far bolder and much more dangerous. I don't know much about them."
"Wonderful! Now answer this for me, are there any small groups that have been in the spotlight recently, it would be best if they made enemies with someone."
Zhang Wei brought his hand to his chin and began to rack his brain once more.
"Ah! There actually is one! Just a few weeks ago a small-time pirate group made headlines by pillaging two ships belonging to the pair of high-profile pirates- The Lobster Twins! They were able to make away with over one hundred thousand gold coins and two spirit treasures supposedly! The Lobster Twins are rumored to be in a heated battle with another big-name pirate and as such can't personally come over.
As they can't spare any more members they said they'll pay a handsome reward to anyone who can bring them their heads. If I remember right, the names of that pirate group was…The Crimson Owl Pirates! Their leader is said to be at the peak of Mist Condensation Realm! Rumor has it that they've been seen partying around Green Bay Village, seemingly without fear of retribution!"
"How far away is Green Bay Village from Blue Reef City?"
"Uhm, about a day by ship or two days by land."
"Great, final question…how many ships do they have?"
[.....] - The system
"I think the article mentioned something about them using five ships to surround the others, I'm not sure," Zhang Wei answered honestly.
"Perfect!, one more thing, I want to find some books about cultivation…for Xueyue. Just the basic stuff, so she can get the gist of it. I don't have too much time to teach her now."
[Shameless!]
'Eh?' Xueyue's eyes opened slightly.
"Ah…I see, but I can only get what's available to everyone, it's pretty standard."
"That's fine, she just needs some reading material," Li Renjie replied with a bright smile.
'I do?,' Xueyue silently thought to herself.
"Alright then, I need to do some shopping, come along and tell me more about these Crimson Owls Pirates."
"O-ok…let me go tell my sister, I'll be quick."
While waiting for Zhang Wei, Li Renjie ripped a piece of his sleeve off and wrapped into around his forehead, covering the crescent moon.
He had a feeling the system was up to something, and this was the simplest solution for now.
'Can't stand out too much. Sigh, being so amazing is problematic,' he silently lamented his fate.
A few minutes later the trio left the residence and Zhang Wei hailed a carriage.
The carriage driver stared at Li Renjie as he boarded, he couldn't help but wonder what this strange looking beggar was doing with these two.
The carriage doors closed before the driver urged the horses forward, their destination, the western shopping district.
::Blue Reef City - Western District::
The shopping district of Blue Reef Island was renowned amongst even the surrounding islands.
A massive street stretching over one hundred feet wide, and many miles long cut through the entire western end from the city center all the way towards the foothills at the periphery of the city and reaching the western gates. The street was made out of massive slabs of white marble, all cut to be exact copies of each other.
The center of the street, about fifty feet was reserved for traffic. Whether that be simple carriages or qi beast mounts, as long as they stayed within the marked space all means of travel were permitted.
The remaining twenty-five feet on either end were reserved for foot traffic, as the western district had visitors constantly coming from other cities and islands even, it was necessary to be able to provide sufficient room for everyone.
The center lanes and the outer sidewalks were separated by neatly trimmed hedges and evenly spaced trees. Between all the trees there were exactly three silver pillars that stood roughly four feet high and six inches in diameter, on each one a crystal the size of a coconut could be seen floating. By these pillars, about every fifty feet or so on both sidewalks, artistically designed benches could be seen, each capable of holding at least twenty people.
The city was truly a work of art.
The massive street was lined with all sorts of shops, some general-purpose others specialty, and although they all were made of the similar white marble and blue tiled roofs each had their own since of personality and charm. From hanging colorful banners, to unique sculptures, one could see it all here.
Food, drinks, and festivities, the street was known for being boisterous and alive. Every step one would find something new and captivating, as such all the citizens gave it a name onto itself.
The Golden Steps!
On this evening like any other, the golden steps were lined with people. Some carrying bags, others food, but all enjoying their days out. A few would occasionally pass by a lovely shop with massive glass windows, on any other day the majority could only smile and walk away.
Today though, there seemed to be a commotion.
Red Silk Apparel was a high-end clothing store specializing in clothes specially tailored for cultivators. The clothes would have all sort of magical effects, some convenient, some lifesaving, it was all simply a matter of price.
At the moment a large crowd was gathered outside, their faces pressed against the stores massive glass windows. Inside a group of people dressed in white and purple robes seemed to be arguing with the staff and the situation had escalated.
Smack!
"How dare you speak that way with my young master!"
A middle-aged man with greying hair and dressed in white and purple robes suddenly smacked a young store employee.
"Azure Island trash!"
The old mans words caused the surrounding crowd to furrow their brows. A majority of them were all natives of Azure-Island.
How dare he so openly insult them?
"Enough," the young man being surround by the group spoke up.
He seemed to be seventeen years old and wore similar white and purple robes; however, the purple portions of his robe had snake like scales patterned into them, they would occasionally flicker in the light.
His hair was tied in an elegant topknot and gleamed with a deep black luster. His eyes were dark blue and calculating, he seemed unconcerned about his subordinate's behavior.
"Yes, young master," the greying middle-aged man bowed before stepping back into formation.
A young woman in a red dress stepped forward after helping the employee who had been struck.
"Striking my employee is crossing the line, I'll have to ask you all to leave."
Scoff!
The middle-aged man from earlier was about to smack the young woman as well when the young man behind him stepped forward.
His body began releasing an enchanting purple colored mist.
Another step.
It began to twist and condense.
Another step.
It quickly took the form of a ten-foot-long purple python!
Its body as thick as an adult man's thigh.
The purple python's scales looked dazzling but revealed an all too cold light. Its eyes similar to its body were a deep shade of purple and flickered with a trace of intelligence.
It slowly circled the young man as if floating in water.
"Do you know who I am?" he said calmly.
The young woman in the red dressed took a step back staring into the python's cold eyes.
Outside, the crowd suddenly heard shouting coming from behind.
"Step aside!"
A commanding voice sounded before a group of twenty men in silver armor rushed into the store.
The young woman in red sighed seeing them.
It was the city guards!
The captain of the group seemed to be about in his early twenties and unlike the others, there was a bright blue stone imbedded in the center of his chest plate. On his head, a bright silver helmet decorated with cloud like patterns, similar to his armor, covered most of his face.
"What's going on here?" he said coldly.
"Capitan Yun, this group has disobeyed the cities laws and struck one of my employees without cause, I ask for justice!"
Capitan Yun stared at the group of ten or so men and women, all dressed in similar attire. Turning to the young man being encircled by a python, he scoffed lightly.
A pale-yellow light flashed!
The middle-aged man next to the young man sneered before stepping forward. From his body a thick purple mist gushed out and met the yellow light.
There was no impact or sound.
The yellow light simply seemed to sink and vanish into the purple mist.
Silence.
"Not bad," Captain Yun couldn't help but praise.
"That being said, if you think that level of power is sufficient for you to act lawless…"
Captain Yun began speaking before taking a step forward. His body began to glow with a dazzling pale-yellow light!
The light began to take the shape of hexagons that slowly sank just below the surface of his skin, forming a visible pattern that covered even his face and neck!
"..Then I shall have to rudely awaken you from your dreams my friend."
The guards seeing their captain begin to move immediately fell back, they were all too familiar with his behavior.
They all knew one thing.
Yun Sheng was not a man of diplomacy.
Throughout his entire life, no matter what problem he encountered his answer had always the same.
Hit it!
Someone dare cross you?!
Hit em'!
Someone dare break the law?!
Hit em'!
Waiter taking too long to server your order?!
Hit em' then go smack the chef for good measure!
Within the lower ranks of the city guards he was renowned for being fearless!
Amongst the higher echelon, he was a headache, a neanderthal, a brute!
But admittedly…an effective one.
Hailing from one of the small villages under Blue Reef City, he had no notable background or education and was unknown to anyone of importance.
Until one faithful day.
A platoon of guards were conducting their monthly visit to a few small villages when they encountered a scene they would never forget.
Just outside one of the small fishing villages on their route was a large mass.
It looked like small hill
As they got closer their eyes widened.
It was a pile of bodies!
Stacked high, forming a small mound!
At least seventy bodies, maybe more, their attire identifying them as bandits.
All of them were dead.
Surrounding the mound were shattered swords, sabers, and spears.
Everyone was either severely chipped or snapped clean in half!
Sitting atop of the mound was a young teen, about seventeen years old.
His shoulder length pale blonde hair gently flowed in the wind.
His upper body was toned and bare, and he wore a simple animal pelt around his waist.
His body was covered in strange hexagon pattern that flickered with a pale-yellow light.
Sensing the guards he turned and smiled brightly.
His pale-yellow eyes completing the set.
Back at the store
The middle-aged man in white and purple robes looked at the hexagon pattern.
There was no movement in the surrounding qi, not even the slightest disturbance could be felt.
This wasn't a cultivation technique.
It was as if the pale-yellow light was a natural part of the world.
It only took him a moment to understand.
"Blood lineage…"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
WithTheWind
WithTheWind Thanks for reading.
Sidenote: I'll be marking any paragraphs with pictures using an [x] or just putting all the pieces at the end of the chapters from now on. Not sure which one to go with just yet.
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