章 8: 8. All Grown Up
A new day dawned and the fiery sun rose above the King's Mountains, home of craggy peaks, tumbling cascades, and ancient forests. Long shadows from snowy mountain ridges loomed across the verdant valleys below. The air was chilly and a thick fog cast everything in a pale white dream. The scenery was beautiful, mystical, and completely ignored by the residents of Blue Lake Village.
The villagers had no time to enjoy such things. Everybody had something they needed to do to survive. Some headed to the fields to farm. Others headed into the forest to gather herbs, hunt beasts, or mine ores.
In an inconspicuous wooden shack, an old man was busy cooking a large breakfast that included rice porridge, vegetables, and chicken. Right when everything was ready, a giant of a man came out from the back
"Hey, Old Li!" That person had a deep and magnetic voice.
"Morning Gray. Food is done." Old Li replied.
It was Gray and he was now sixteen. In the three years since he found the treasure gem, he had grown rapidly. The transformation was shocking; he now looked nothing like a teenager but a tall and overweight man.
He towered over Old Li by at least two heads. When he sat down, he could barely fit his thick legs under the table. He wore only short pants and a sleeveless shirt that was unbuttoned at the front. It revealed muscular arms, a broad and thick torso, legs like tree trunks, and a wide belly.
He looked really strong and yet really fat at the same time. It was an eye-catching and fascinating physique.
"Thanks…" Gray muttered and started to eat.
Food on the table disappeared rapidly. He barely chewed and simply inhaled everything. It was like he was competing against himself to eat as quickly as possible.
"Did you just wake up?" Old Li asked, noticing the bits of straw and dirt on him, "You didn't even do your morning breathing exercise."
"Huh? Oh, I was hungry." Gray said with a mouthful of food.
"You said that yesterday too. The day before, you overslept. Are you even able to sense spiritual energy yet?"
"Nah…"
Spiritual energy was the invisible and formless power that existed in the world. It was everywhere, in the ground, in the wind, in the rivers, in the trees. A cultivator was able to sense strands of spiritual energy in their surround and take it into their bodies and improve their cultivation. This allowed them to perform special feats by manipulating the world's energy with secret methods and arcane arts that were passed down from generation to generation.
At least, this was what Gray had been taught when he saved up money to buy the first lesson from Old Li.
"Are you sure I can sense spiritual energy from the rising sun?" He asked the old man for the thousandth time, "It's been two years and I haven't felt anything. Just teach me the second lesson, I can afford it."
The first lesson was simple. Apart from a bit of basic information, it required Gray to meditate facing the rising sun every morning. In theory, he would be able to absorb a tiny bit of the sun's fiery spiritual energy. If he worked hard enough at it and long enough, he would eventually unlock something called a spiritual sea and formally become a cultivator. In practice, it was incredibly boring and a complete waste of time.
"Nonsense! It's only been two years and you barely practice at all. It took me six years of non-stop dedication to enter the realm of cultivation. With your lazy ass, it will take you ten or twelve years." Old Li admonished. "At that point, it won't matter if you cultivate or not. Even if you became a cultivator, you'll be too old and you won't be able to advance a single level."
"But I'm already stronger than you, even with your cup warming palm."
"… It's flame palm!"
Gray laughed and continued eating. When the food was about finished, he remembered something else.
"Old Li, why are there a bunch of new assholes around town?" He asked.
"Don't talk when your mouth is full."
"But I'm eating…" Gray complained with his mouth full.
Old Li sighed. "You need to pay attention more. I told you this yesterday. Twin Lake Village to the west had a terrible failure of their wheat crop. Those farmers are coming here to try and make some money."
"So… new miners?"
"Yeah. We have the best ore of the region."
Gray scoffed, "If they mess with my mine, they'll pay the price."
His reputation as a crazy solo miner was well known among the people of Blue Lake Village. He was no longer a weak child that had to run from danger. He was now taller, bigger, and stronger than any miner young or old, even those with cultivation.
He took on challenges headfirst. After a few infamous brawls, the miners that robbed him in the past all gave up. He was undefeated in the past year, even against groups of four or five. Nobody in the village dared to rob him anymore.
"Gray… that's what I am trying to say. Don't go beating people from the other town into the dirt. They are desperate and desperate people can do desperate things."
"Hmph, not my problem."
Gray finished his food and patted his stomach, "Hey old man, the chicken was so skinny. How do you call that a meat dish? I'm barely full and it was so bland. Ten coins is a rip-off, don't you think?"
"You ate it all, didn't you? Why don't you throw up what you ate?" Old Li's voice rose. "Every chicken I raise goes straight into your lazy, ungrateful mouth! Ten coins, no negotiations, or I'll take it out of your ledger!"
Gray laughed. "Fine, fine. I was just messing with you. Don't get so worked up. You're turning into a senile old fart."
Gray was indeed just teasing. Old Li was decent and wouldn't cheat him after so many years of doing business with each other. Their relationship became more friendly as Gray grew from a child into a man and consistently produced more and more ore.
Their relationship was hard to put into words. They weren't friends, they weren't family, but they were closer than mere acquaintances. Gray only talked to Old Li and the old man was the only person he sold ore to. Mentor… business partner… Gray did not understand the concept of these words but they were probably the best descriptions.
Gray dropped ten copper coins plus four more on the table and stood to leave. He would never pay extra for anything under normal circumstances but it was Old Li so he didn't care. A few coins here and there between them were not a big deal since he made so much money now.
"Thanks, old man. I'm heading back. I suppose I'll be back in another two weeks. Maybe you can make that red braised pork dish for me."
Old Li scooped up the extra coins without complaint and shook his head. "The ingredients aren't cheap. It's rare for hunters to bring back wild pigs so it will cost you. Twenty coins, at least!"
"Tch, stingy… Maybe I'll hunt a Bark Pig myself before I come down next time!" Gray boasted.
"Since when can you hunt? Hurry up and leave. I still have to work." Old Li said and pushed him out of the shack.
Gray left in a good mood, unbothered by Old Li's cranky mood. Old people usually were like that.
This trip down the mountains earned him ten silvers. An average miner in the valley could barely mine one or two silver worth of ore per month. An average gatherer or hunter made only slightly more. His income was massive compared to his peers. The amount of ore he produced by himself rivaled the best mining gangs. As a result, he lived a comfortable life and ate as much as he wanted. He was even able to pay Old Li for freshly cooked meals, a luxury few could enjoy.
He stopped by another shop and bought bags of dried meat and cornmeal, enough to last him a month. He put these on a wooden cart and left the village, daydreaming about his next delicious meal.
"Mmm, damn, really wish I could eat some better stuff." Gray wondered out loud, smacking his lips, and still feeling a bit hungry. "I wonder if Old Li can do better with a wild pig. What a bastard old geezer, so stingy!"
Old Li in his youth had traveled outside of the King's Mountains and experienced civilization. Gray was often told of those adventures. He couldn't help but be captivated by stories of amazing dishes of exotic food, cities and towns filled with people, and beautiful women that only existed outside of the mountains.
Gray's dream was to leave this valley that had nothing but trees, weeds, nasty beasts, and abject poverty. His eyes would always be glued on the merchant caravans whenever they arrived. He envied the fancy clothes of the traders as well as the beautiful female servants by their sides.
A young man dreaming of adventure and women was not surprising. Countless boys and young men struggling against the wilderness all had the same dream. But none of them were as good at mining as Gray, none of them were as strong as him. He was special and this place could not contain him.
"Whatever, step by step. A few more years of mining and I will save enough money to travel out of this dump. I will move to the city and find a wife. She has to be pretty and a great cook. She'll make a lot of delicious food for me every day, for free!" Gray laughed out loud and continued up the valley.
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