Chapter 8: Chapter Eight
Celius woke up a few hours after his nightmare, however, he felt that his body felt a little different. He felt much lighter at times, but sometimes he felt like he weighed a lot more. He felt all these changes, but for some reason, it didn't feel uncomfortable in any way.
"Probably just a little tired still." He shook his head and woke Rislia and rest up. They missed their classes yesterday, but they had to go this time. His grandpa paid for them with much difficulty.
"Rislia, wake up. Come on." The first person he woke up was usually Rislia. It took her the longest to get ready and eat, so he needed to wake her up before the others.
"No! I want to sleep." She twisted and turned in the bed, but Celius getting somewhat annoyed, forcefully picked her up and began to tickle her stomach.
"You won't wake up, huh? What about now? You still want to sleep?" His fingers kept tickling her stomach, then her arms, then her feet, and then her neck.
"Haha! Stop! Stop! Hehe! I get up!" She finally got off the bed and waited for him by the side. Celius smiled and quickly folded the sheets. He took Rislia to the water basin and stripped his sister. Picking up a bucket, he dropped water on her head before adding some soap to her face and hair. "Hehe, that tickles." She giggled as he rubbed her head to get the soap everywhere.
Dropping another bucket of water on her, he rinsed off the soap. He did it once more to get any extra that may have been left behind.
After she was finished getting her body cleaned, he wrapped her with a thick cloth and sat her on the bed. "Am I going to grandpa's?"
"Yes, you are. Don't be mean or make him tired, alright? Grandpa is old now; he will go crazy." He dried her off and began to comb her hair with a comb he made himself. Then, he went to the cupboard and pulled out a small green dress. It had a blue bow on one side of the shoulder, while a blue ribbon wrapped around the waist. It was a pretty and colorful dress.
"Come here and wear your underwear first." Placing the dress on the bed, he took out a small undergarment for Rislia. Stretching it out for her, he quickly put it on her. Standing her up, he helped her to wear the dress next. After tidying her hair once more, he took her into the kitchen and sat her down onto one of the highchairs. "Alright, what do you want to eat?"
Rislia touched her chin with her small white hands and began to ponder. "Milk and Jacky Mangi." Celius nodded his head and poured some milk out for her. He then went into the icebox and pulled out a round fruit it. The fruit was called a Jacky Mangi, it was extremely popular amongst children because of its sweet taste. Plus, it was a bright red fruit, so it was also very eye-catching. It looked like an apple, but the difference was that it was a complete circle, similar to an orange.
Taking a knife, he cut the somewhat hard fruit into small pieces. Then he started a small fire and placed the fruit on top. This was only to make it softer and get rid of the ice. Plus, it tasted fine warm as well.
After getting the fruit ready, he placed the food in front of Rislia who looked at him with a frown. "Feed me."
Picking up a small piece, he placed it into her mouth before quickly rushing into Alura and Elrith's room. "Both of you guys, wake up. Hurry up." He went over and pulled the sheet from their bodies and threw it in the corner of the room. He also pulled the curtains to let light into the room.
"Only a little more. Please." Alura complained as she stretched her arms slightly before laying back down. Her hand moved around the bed, looking for the sheets, but there was nothing.
"I'm not going to say it again. Get up you two." He quickly picked up Elrith and stood him up, while also picking up Alura. Then he ran back into the kitchen and placed another fruit into Rislia's mouth.
Running back into the twins' room, he saw them laying back on the bed, and the sheets were back on them. He frowned before pulling the sheets off them again. This time he folded it and placed them on a high place, where they couldn't reach. He then pulled Elrith off the bed first and quickly stripped him. Then picking him up, he took Elrith to the water basin. Sitting him down, Celius dropped a bucket of water on his head.
"Ahh! Cold!" Elrith woke up right away as his eyes looked around in panic. When he finally caught Celius staring at him, Elrith smiled sheepishly before rubbing soap on his head and face.
Seeing that he was doing it on his own, Celius got up and ran back into the kitchen. He placed another fruit into Rislia's mouth before rushing back into the twins' room to wake up Alura.
"Alright, you slept enough Alura. Get up now." He picked her up and took her to the water basin. The same thing as her brother, he took off her clothes and then dumped water on her.
"Ah! Brother, stop!" She complained as the water woke her up and hair covered her face.
"Stop complaining and quickly wash yourself, or do you need my help?" Celius asked her with a smile.
Alura shook her head and did the same thing as Elrith and put soap on her face and head. "I can do it." She still had a little bit of annoyance in her tone, but Celius only laughed. He secretly lifted another bucket and splashed it on her. "AH! Brother! What are you doing?" She looked at Celius with flames in her cute little eyes. The latter couldn't help but laugh as he rushed out of the room and entered the kitchen.
"Alright Rislia, let's finish eating now." Rislia had a pout on her face as she looked at the busy Celius.
"Hmph." She turned her head and didn't eat the fruit. "Alura and Elrith last. Me always first."
Celius was speechless and then just smiled wryly. "Alright, I'm sorry. You are first, always. Is that good?" He looked at her while holding the fruit in his hand.
Rislia turned her head and nodded her head and showed a look of victory. Seeing such an expression almost made Celius almost spew blood on the table. 'This rascal.'
He then began to feed her the fruits. Also, he helped her drink the milk since she was prone to dropping the cup if she did it herself.
A few minutes went by and Alura and Elrith walked out the water area, naked. They looked at Celius with their bodies dripping with water. Seeing them, Celius quickly got up and fetched two large cloths. He wrapped Alura first and made her sit on her bed, while he quickly dried Elrith.
Elrith was the easiest and quickest to get dry since his hair was really short. Alura was a little more difficult since her hair was long.
After drying Elrith and putting some clothes on him, he moved onto Alura. "Elrith, go sit with your sister, I will give you food after Alura gets ready." Elrith nodded his head and reached out to grab his stick. "Hey, don't take your stick to the kitchen. Just go and sit down." Elrith's hand stopped midway and he retracted it hurriedly before running into the kitchen.
Celius shook his head before focusing on Alura. Every time he got Alura ready, he would use a warm cloth which helped to reduce the amount of time it takes to dry her hair.
A few minutes passed and he got her hair mostly dried. He quickly put some clothes on her before wrapping her hair with another cloth. Her hair needed more drying so he would make her wear the cloth on her head as she ate her breakfast.
Running back into the kitchen he placed Alura on Rislia's right, while Elrith sat on the latter's left. "Alright, what do you two want?"
"I want milk as well. Also, green peach slices, with some Jacky Mangi." Elrith called out first. Alura thought for a moment before asking for the same thing.
He already had milk and Jacky Mangi ready, so he gave them both some. He then turned around and began to cut the green peaches.
He gave five slices each to the twins, who happily ate.
Knock Knock
Suddenly, a knock came from the front door. 'Grandpa shouldn't be coming here today. I'm going to him, so who… oh, it should be a tree buyer.'
The previous night, he asked his grandpa to arrange for someone to purchase the fifty-three trees he cut for some extra income.
"You guys continue eating, I will go and see who it is. Alura, if Rislia wants more Jacky Mangi, share with her please." Alura nodded her head as she placed a small piece into her sister's mouth. Celius smiled at the sight before rushing to the front door.
Opening it up, he saw a middle-aged man with glasses standing in front of him. He looked a little impatient as there was a frown on his face and he kept tapping his feet. When the glasses man saw Celius he couldn't help but frown even more deeply.
"Are you not ready yet?" Celius looked confused.
"You want to head out right away?"
"Of course, I have no time to hand around this place, I have other stuff to do. Hurry up and show me the trees." Celius frowned a little as felt annoyed with the way the glasses man spoke.
"Give me a few minutes to get my siblings, we can then head out." The glasses man's face darkened as he lightly whispered something to himself.
"Why the hell is this brat bringing more spawns of that bastard. One is already annoying enough." When Celius heard this, he stopped in his steps. He looked at the man with a deep frown.
"Mister, whatever the hell your name is, you're here to conduct business with me, not to complain about every little thing. If that is truly your purpose, then please, you may leave. I have no time to entertain degenerates like you." After saying his piece, Celius slammed the door in the man's face.
He would have let it go if the man was only insulting him, but he went ahead and complained about his siblings. He may stay lowkey, but that didn't mean he was a coward. If someone got on his bad side, he didn't mind giving that person a piece of his mind.
The glasses man was shocked as he saw the door slammed in his face. After processing what happened, his face darkened, and he gritted his teeth before walking away. He didn't forget to leave with a rude remark of course.
"Like father, like son. Both useless and both bastards of the clan." Celius heard this but ignored it as he didn't want to stoop to such a level. Alura and Elrith didn't really understand what happened so they continued eating their food. Rislia, on the other hand, saw her brother frowning so she lifted her hand and touched his face.
"Are you mad?" Alura and Elrith also looked over with worry on their faces. They didn't notice his expression before, but now that they did, they felt worried that they might be in trouble.
Celius shook his head gently and smile. "No, I'm not mad. I just don't like pests coming to find me all the time." Rislia and the rest didn't understand what he meant so they just nodded their heads and continued to stuff their faces.
When everyone was finally done eating, Celius walked the twins to their education classes. Luckily, the instructor treated Alura and Elrith like the rest of the kids, since she was not from the clan. She was hired by the clan to teach children.
After dropping the two off, Celius began to walk towards his grandpa's home with Rislia in his arms. As he was bypassing the cultivation training grounds, he heard someone yell for him.
"Celius!" Turning his head, he found a boy running towards him. This boy had spiky brown hair and deep black eyes. His body was a little taller than Celius' while he was also bulkier. His age looked older than Ennie's, but not too much.
"Rells? How are you?" Rells Illeaf could be considered the only person that Celius truly considered a friend. Although his family didn't like Celius, that didn't stop Rells from meeting and chatting with him.
Rells ran over and looked at Celius and then at Rislia. "This must be your sister?"
Celius nodded his head and he introduced them. "Rislia, this is your brother's friend, Rells. Say hello."
Rislia looked at Rells' large frame and became a little intimidated. She spoke in a mouse-like voice. "H-hello." After that, she tucked her head in Celius' chest.
"Sorry, Rislia isn't too great with people yet." Rells waved his hand in nonchalance.
"It's fine. So, Celius, are you coming to class later on? You didn't come yesterday so I got worried something happened." He looked at Celius with genuine concern. In the past, he did help Celius out a few times with money problems and alike, but later when his family found out, they stopped giving him any money at all.
Celius shook his head as he spoke with a sigh. "I'm not coming to class anymore. I'm going to withdraw from it. I got a new job and it takes up all my time, so coming to class is useless to me." Rells' face blanked out before his eyes widened.
"Celius, how, what, when did you…" He couldn't put his words together. He was both shocked and confused.
"I know it was sudden, but I either care for my siblings or go to classes. I can't choose the latter since my siblings are much more important." Celius sighed before shaking his head. "Let's not discuss this anymore. I have to go and drop my sister off at my grandpa's before heading to work. I will see you later."
"But…" Celius waved his hand before turning around and leaving. Rells watched as he left with his face filled with a frown. "This is not a good thing. Celius loved to cultivate, now with this gone, does he have any fun left?" Rells looked at Celius' departing back before sighing deeply.
Once Celius dropped Rislia off at Grandpa Amlenor's place and explaining what happened with the glasses guy, he headed towards the job's place. Since people needed workers for cutting trees, there was bound to be someone who would buy his trees for a decent sum.
Entering the Jobs' Building, the first place he visited was the area where the tree cutting jobs were listed. Heading to that place, he saw an old man standing with a sign in his hand. Tree Cutters Needed! Wood Needed! Seeing that this person needed wood, Celius wanted to try his luck and so, walked over.
"Excuse me, old sir." Celius spoke politely to the old man. He noticed that this old man was not someone he recognized. 'Maybe he is from outside the clan village.'
The old man turned his head and looked at Celius briefly before smiling. "How can I help you, kid?" Surprisingly, the old man had a very strong and loud voice. His manner of speaking also seemed very bright and happy.
"Your sign says you need wood and was wondering if you are interested in purchasing some Kama Trees?" Celius spoke professionally and didn't stumble in his sentence. His voice was clear and concise.
"Hmm? Kama trees are fine to buy, I guess. Bring me to your boss, father, or whoever sent you here to speak to me." When he heard this, Celius couldn't help but show a constrained smile.
"Ahem!" He coughed a little before speaking again. "No one sent me here. I came by myself for this. There is no other party." The old man looked at Celius once more before frowning a little.
"Kid, I am not here to play, alright? I am here to do business, so if you want to play games, do it elsewhere." The old man was clearly a little displeased with Celius. Why would he waste time with a kid?
"Sir, I am serious. I am here to sell Kama Trees. I have quite a few I am willing to sell, but if you are not interested then, I shall look for someone else." Celius turned around and walked away.
The old man watched Celius before pondering for a minute. He then called out reluctantly. "Wait, come back."
'As expected.' Celius smirked and then turned around. "Are you willing to do business then?"
"If I find out that you are tricking me, watch out kid." He spoke slowly, but Celius felt no fear since the old man didn't look so scary. It seemed like his first time threatening someone and felt more like the threat a parent would give to his child when they were acting naughty.
"That is fine. Should we discuss here, or do you want to see the goods first?" The old man nodded his head and then waved forward.
"Lead me there. Let me first see if you are lying or not. If you do have wood, however, I will make sure to give you a good and fair deal." Celius nodded his head before leading the old man out of the building. They then began to walk towards Celius' plot.
Ten minutes went by and the old man felt a little annoyed. "Jeez, how far is this place."
"Just a little more. You can already see the pile of trees from here." Celius pointed towards an area behind some trees. The old man followed his finger and truly saw a large pile of cut trees. It wasn't just ten or twenty, there was much more.
"Kid, you weren't joking. Haha, this will greatly reduce the amount of work I have to do." The old man laughed heartily as he quickened his pace.
Celius also went a little faster, hoping not to be left behind by the old man.
Arriving at the plot, the old man quickly counted the number of trees and then nodded his head. "Good, there are a total of fifty-three trees. Haha, you did good kid. Did you chop all these down yourself?"
Celius didn't comment and only smiled at the old man. "So, what is your offer?"
The old man touched his chin for a second before pulling out a small bag with jingling coins. "There are a few dozen silver coins in here. Is that enough?"
Celius looked at the bag in shock. He then looked at the old man, before looking back at the bag. He swallowed for a second before remembering something his dad always taught him. '
Celius, no matter the situation or circumstances, don't ever trick or cheat another person. Even if that person is your enemy, you must be fair and just. This is the dignity of an honest person, so don't ever trick another person.
Celius always listened to his dad's words and respected him greatly. He sighed a little before shaking his hands. "Ten or eleven silver is enough, sir. That is the price for these if looked at the market price." Although he felt some regret doing this, at least his conscience would be clean.
The old man looked at Celius deeply before nodding his head. "Alright then, here is eleven silver." He pulled out a good amount of coins and tossed them towards Celius. The latter caught them and placed them into his pockets.
As he was putting the money away, he felt a gust of wind hit his face suddenly. Looking up, he saw the pile of wood was completely gone. "What?!"
He then turned to look at the old man who was clapping his hands together. "Done. Good deal kid, you helped me a lot right now." The old man patted Celius' shoulders as he laughed.
"Where did all of the trees go?" Still dazed, he couldn't help but subconsciously ask this question.
"Haha, I put them into my dimensional ring. In here." The old man then raised his hand and showed Celius a black ring with a blue gem on the top. Celius still looked a little confused, which the old man caught. "A dimensional ring is a very large backpack which can hold different things. It creates a small dimension inside the ring, and you can carry things inside. Pretty cool, right?"
Celius truly did find such a thing cool. After taking in the ring for a while, he pulled himself together, but this time he became a little more cautious when speaking to the old man. "Old sir, since our business is done, I shall head back." Although he wanted to keep looking at the ring, he knew that he needed to begin work soon. Plus, his tools were at his house, so he needed to go back and fetch them first.
"Wait, kid." The old man called out to Celius, who turned around and looked at the old man confusingly. "Is this plot yours?"
"Yes. This is where I work." Celius didn't bother hiding it since he could tell the old man in front of him was either an extremely wealthy person, someone influential, a super-strong cultivator, or all three.
"With your Physique Purge - Hell realm cultivation, how are you going to do fieldwork? Are you messed up in the head kid?" The old man couldn't help but mock him.
"I know it is difficult but… wait! How do you what realm I am in?" Celius went into full alert mode as he looked at the man with greater caution. He took a few steps back, gaining some distance.
"Pfft, kid you are a thousand years too young to trick my eyes." The old man smugly looked at Celius. "I can also tell that your eyes have gone through a change as well. Still, I can't tell what type of eyes you have."
Celius suddenly felt his eyes become a little lighter in weight. 'Shit, he got rid of my illusion so easily.'
"Don't panic kid, I have no ill intentions. I was just curious as to what color they were. Golden, huh? Not bad kid, you have unique eyes, rather than those common ones that everyone has." The old man rubbed his chin as he nodded continuously as if inspecting cattle and seeing something good.
"Unique?" Celius was a little confused by this term.
"Yes, unique. As in, something that only you have and no one else. Golden is usually the color for unique eyes. Of course, anyone who has golden will slowly begin to see it change into something a little different as they get stronger." The old man explained slowly. "So, tell me, kid, what is your power?"
Celius didn't say anything as he stared at the old man silently. His dad once told him to never expose his eye power until he was strong enough. Only those he trusted completely should know about it before that.
The old man noticed Celius' hesitation and smirked. "Alright kid, I won't ask anymore. Jeez, someone is really cautious, isn't he?" The old man laughed a little before going back to his previous conversation. "Now then, with your weak realm, why would you be working in the fields. Don't you have a father to do that for you? Or are you being punished for being such a bad kid? Ah, with your attitude, it's not surprising."
"My parents are dead, sir. As for why I am working, well someone has to raise my siblings, and I am the only person who can." Celius reverted to his calmness as he spoke.
"No parents but huge responsibility? Such a situation is quite normal nowadays, huh? Luckily you aren't like the rest who would either sell their family for money or just be selfish and focus on themselves. Some were luckier and had a family to help, but you… pity pity pity." The old man spoke with half mockery and half pity.
Celius stood by the side and made no comments, his expression also didn't change at all. He just silently waited for the old man to get to the point.
Seeing that Celius did not react, the old man silently nodded his head in approval. 'Such strong mental fortitude, plus he is also talented and possesses unique eyes. His personality is also quite firm and if what he says is true, then he is very reliable and a kind person. Not a bad talent.'
"Tell you what kid, I like talents. Seeing that you are one as well, I will help you with one task. What do you say? Of course, this task can't be something like killing, stealing, or whatever. Nothing like that, but if there is anything else, tell me." Celius looked at the old man suspiciously before nodding his head.
"If you put it in such a way, I do have a request." Celius looked at the many stumps and roots in his plot and smirked. "Can you help me get rid of all of these roots? They are in my way and I find it hard to work."
The old man almost fell. "Kid, did you not hear what I said? Other then something dumb, I can help you with any task. If you asked for gold coins, I would have given you one. If you asked me to take you out of this village, I would have done that as well. Why did you pick something so simple and dumb?" He was speechless as he stared at Celius.
"Everything you just said sounds great and all, but I don't need it currently. Sure, having a gold coin is great, but what will I do if someone finds out I have so much money? I would probably be hunted down. As for taking me out of the village. I can accomplish that myself. The only problem I have right now are these roots. Once they are resolved, I will be making a steady amount of money for my family. I won't need your gold or anything." Celius calmly explained his reasons.
The old man was still a little shocked before he helplessly shook his head. "Whatever then, you asked for this." He then waved his hand the ground suddenly began to rumble. Celius watched in shock as fifty-three stumps and roots floated into the sky. He turned his head and saw the old man calmly clench his fists.
Scroooh
Looking up, Celius saw the many roots and stumps disintegrate into nothingness. His eyes began to shine brightly, this was true power. He had never seen anyone do something so spectacular.
"Catch kid." Suddenly he heard the old man and when he turned his head, he saw a small medal get thrown towards him. He quickly caught it and began to inspect it.
It was a silver medal with a few words engraved into it. Green Sky! Celius looked up at the old man in confusion. "This is?"
"This is something that can help you out in the future if you ever leave this village. I like you kid, so I want you to have it. Also, tell me your name so I don't have to keep calling you kid." The old man laughed a little.
"Celius, Celius Illeaf. And you sir?" Celius was also curious about the identity of the old man.
"Me? Well, there is no reason for me to tell you that, is there?" The old man suddenly jumped into the air and vanished, his laughter lingered in the air, however.
Celius had his eyes wide open as he couldn't believe the old man just vanished like that. 'That old guy is so strong. Where did he come from? With his strength, he should be able to take all of these trees in a single sweep, why is he holding a sign asking for help from others?' The more he thought about this, the more confused he became. 'Forget it, that old man helped me quite a bit right now.'
He happily felt the eleven silver coins in his pocket. This was more than his previous month's salary. Of course, he wasn't completely thrilled, since his new job paid quite a bit at twenty silver every two weeks. That was huge. Four times what he earned before.
'Maybe I should go and get myself a pickaxe now. It will be needed for these boulders and the flowers later on.' With this already set in mind, he left his plot and quickly headed to the market.
He got there rather quickly, but before he left, he saw a familiar person standing at the entrance of the market. It was Ennie's dad, Lorron Illeaf, who he ate dinner with the other night.
"Uncle Lorron?" He changed how he called Lorron from sir to uncle. It was mostly because of the warmth he felt from the middle-aged man.
Uncle Lorron looked at the newly bought pickaxe in Celius' hand. He sighed before looking at Celius with a slight smile. "Are you heading to your plot?"
"Yeah, I just needed to get a pickaxe to break the few boulders there." Celius explained briefly as he smiled back at uncle Lorron. Although he was still somewhat anxious around him, he was a lot more comfortable than before.
Hearing his words, Uncle Lorron nodded his head and then asked after waiting a few seconds. "Would you mind if I tagged along with you?"
Celius was taken aback with this request. He couldn't fathom why he would want to follow him. Still, it wasn't a big deal, so he agreed after a bit of deliberation. "Sure."
Seeing that Celius agreed, Uncle Lorron nodded his head and followed behind him. They slowly conversed on the way about random topics. Of course, both spoke only a little, adding bits to the conversation at times only to make the walk less tense.
They walked for another ten minutes before finally reaching Celius' plot. Uncle Lorron looked around and couldn't help feeling shocked. Other than on the plot, there were trees everywhere else. There were a few large boulders on the plots as well. He sucked in a cold breath before looking at Celius cautiously. "You got this plot yesterday, right?"
"Yeah. Luckily I was able to clear quite a bit of it, now I only have a few boulders left." Celius didn't notice the shock plastered on Uncle Lorron's face as he explained casually.
'Celius is something. In one day, who knows how many trees he cut. Plus, the stumps are nowhere to be seen, does that mean he also took them out?' Although he thought this, he didn't say it aloud.
"Well, I don't know if you want to watch me work, but if there is something that you need, please feel free to ask." Celius was still confused why Uncle Lorron followed him, but he couldn't start working out of the blue.
"No no, go ahead and work. I will watch from the side." Hearing this, Celius lifted an eyebrow but nodded his head slightly after. Carrying his pickaxe, he walked to the nearest boulder. He bent his knees slightly and began to break the boulder with all his strength.
Clang Clang Clang
Uncle Lorron watched from the side and was impressed. 'I thought I could give him some pointers, but it seems like he doesn't need it.' Thinking that he turned around and walked away.
Finally breaking the boulder, Celius straightened his body and wiped his forehead. He looked back and found that Uncle Lorron was gone. 'Maybe he just wanted to see where I worked? I don't know, let's get back to work.'
Taking his shirt off to reduce heat, he began to slowly mine away.
A few hours went by and shockingly, one could see a large pile of broken rocks in one corner of the plot. They reached almost a few meters in height.
Currently, Celius was covered in sweat. His body sparkled under the sun's rays that reflected off his sweat. His muscles were also flexed, and veins were showcased on his arms, legs, and neck.
'A dozen or so left, I should finish before the sun sets. Grandpa should have left to pick up Alura and Elrith by now as well. Maybe I should bring some candy for them again. This time, I can get the more expensive ones.' As he thought about this, he couldn't help but feel excited. Seeing his siblings happy and excited made him even more happy and excited. It gave him a sense of accomplishment, relief, and pure joy.
Rustle Rustle
The sound of leaves rustling came from behind, so he turned around. Looking at the scene, his mouth couldn't help but drop open. It was uncle Lorron, and this time he brought a pickaxe with him.
"U-uncle Lorron? What are you doing?" He was still shocked by the scene in front of him.
Uncle Lorron smiled at him before finding a boulder of his own. He took his shirt off, showcasing his muscular body. "What do you think? I am helping you clear this land."
Celius felt thunder attack his brain. "W-what? Uncle Lorron, that's fine, you don't have to go through the trouble. I can clear this area up quite quickly."
"Celius, I know you can do everything on your own, but sometimes you should ask for help from others. You see, if I help you clear this plot, then wouldn't you be able to go home earlier? Then that means you can spend a little more time with your siblings. It's a win-win situation." After saying that, he began to mine the boulder in front of him. His movements were much more fluid and precise than Celius', which showed how experienced he was. "Maybe after this, you can let me taste another one of your dishes. They are quite good you see."
Hearing those words, Celius couldn't help but laugh. He felt grateful for the help, but that wasn't the main reason. It was mostly because Uncle Lorron was risking his future to help him. Celius was not oblivious to the happenings of the clan leader. He knew everything, and even that he was a target that the clan leader was currently weakening. So, seeing Uncle Lorron risk everything to come help him really touched him deeply. "Thank you." He whispered it quietly, under his breath.
Both men then continued to mine the many boulders. After each one broke, they could take the pieces and pile them up. They would go straight to the next one right after. One after the other, they continued to mine the dozen or so boulders. In the end, they spent a total of three hours doing the same thing, over and over again.
Finally, they sat on the ground and stared into the sky together, both sweaty and bare, but they didn't mind.
"I heard that you are not going to cultivation classes anymore?" As they stared into the sky, Uncle Lorron broke the silence and asked without turning his head. "I hope you know what you would be losing if you go on such a path."
Celius was silent for a moment before speaking up as well. "The classes were useless to me from the very beginning. I used to follow my dad's and uncle's instructions in the past, so going now will be useless." He was quiet for a moment before he continued to speak. "To me, cultivation was a dream in the past, but now it is only a job. If I ever do cultivate, it is only for my siblings, not myself. Just like now, and in the future, I plan to only do what I can to raise my brother and sisters."
Uncle Lorron sighed as he looked at Celius, but when he turned his head, he almost fainted. Golden eyes! He had golden eyes!
"Celius, this…" He couldn't help but ask slowly.
Celius shot him a genuine smile. "I have been hiding things from the clan for three years. If the upper echelon of the clan knew about my current strength and change, I believe you already know what my outcome would be."
"So, you already know about these things?" He sighed, but then asked suspiciously. "Why would you risk showing them to me then?"
"Uncle Lorron, you probably know about the family that was slaughtered in the past because they supported my dad and uncle, correct?" Uncle Lorron nodded his head subconsciously, however, Celius only smiled at him because of this. "Since you know, then you coming here to help me today is enough for me to trust you. You are willing to take such a huge risk for me, so why wouldn't I do the same?"
"Tell me then, what realm have you reached, really?" It was difficult to gauge out the strength of a Physique Purge cultivator since the changes weren't so obvious, of course, people with really high strength could do it quite easily, like the old man that Celius met.
"I am only at Physique Purge - Hell, with my ears being almost cleared. After that, I will be in Physique Purge - Heaven." Confirming his realm, Uncle Lorron nodded his head. He seemed calm on the outside, but a storm was brewing inside of him. Although many kids in large clans and sects, could reach the same realm as Celius in a matter of days, Celius depended only on himself. Even when his dad helped him, it was only guidance on how to do it. They had no resources that could speed up the progress as other people did.
Celius then stood up from his spot before grabbing his shirt and pickaxe. "Why don't we head back?" Uncle Lorron agreed and also got up. "Also, have dinner at my place tonight. I plan on making a large dish, so please come. Bring everyone as well.:
Uncle Lorron only nodded his head. He didn't make a fuss about it and agreed readily. Since Celius asked first, that meant that he could easily provide for them, so he didn't mind coming. Plus, he did find Celius' previous dish to be extremely tasty.
"Ok then, I will head home first and tell my wife and the other two to prepare. We will meet in about four hours at your house then." Uncle Lorron smiled gently at him while Celius also smiled back.
The two were able to quickly break through their initial fear and dislike and become much closer. Just a bit of work together and calm conversation was all it would take for some to clear misunderstandings.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
-- Power
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