The landing wasn't the softest. The back of his head hit the paving stones of the walkway. Waiting for the stars in his eyes to disappear, he sat up, feeling for the nascent bump. Yeah, let's consider it a petty revenge for his cold reaction to a hot present.
His stomach growled unhappily. Yee Rhys grinned wryly. It would be a long walk from here to the canteen.
The types of work in the sect were divided in orders: first, second, and third. First-order chores were mandatory daily chores, such as cooking, carrying water, and cleaning the main rooms. The second ones were not so important, when a day could be skipped. Laundry, chopping wood, sewing clothes. Third turn - irregular and done when possible. Repairs, construction.
Yee Reece was charged with cleaning one of the remote corners of the sect where people besides him showed up merely once a week. It was a third job, and was not very important. At least in all these years no one had ever complained of poor performance. Apparently, that was the idea.
He stood up, shook himself off, picked up the broom that had fallen out of his hands, and began to think.
The most logical thing to do was to go out to eat. Work is not the wolf, it will not run into the woods. A work was waiting for him for a week and would last a couple more hours. Otherwise, he would collapse from hunger right here on the path, and then let the Lady pump him out any way she wanted. The only thing that stopped him from deserting immediately was that if the Elder had sent him here, she might well come back with an inspection. And find a legitimate reason for a new punishment.
The agony of choice was interrupted by the appearance of another pill in the sky, which rushed to the body learned by bitter experience. He reflexively clenched his teeth. As if offended, the pill hovered in the air, allowing itself to be seen.
Yee Rhys relaxed, took the ball out of the air and sniffed it cautiously. A normal nutrient pill used by wealthy cultivators of the Wisp Creation Sphere for food so as not to contaminate their bodies with impurities from the food of the mortal world. One pill contains a daily allowance of energy and nutrients. He was very familiar with these pills.
He often forgot to eat in the past few years and ended up collapsing exhausted somewhere under a bush. Where one of the babysitters would find him. Most often a Lady. And since it wasn't the Grand Elder's job to run around with plates and spoon-feed the dumb worker, she preferred to restore his strength with nourishing pills. And then send him on a direct flight home, to the river, or to his workplace, depending on the time of day and her mood.
Yep, it seemed to be a covert form of suicide. Since direct attempts were blocked by a suicide spell. Well, progressive forgetfulness was not to be discounted either. Memory stubbornly refused to tell him even what year it was, let alone the finer details of life. Three years after the merge had begun, he remembered more or less clearly. But beyond that, everything blurred into a series of seizures where the only thing left was the thought, "I have to hold on". How long had he lived like that? A year? Two? Three? More?
To summarize, no wonder the Lady was reacting to him like that. Probably wildly pleased that the subject had begun to feel something and there was an opportunity to take out the discontent that had accumulated over the years.
No longer hesitating, Yee Rhys put the pill in his mouth, immediately feeling the familiar taste. He chewed the pill and soon felt a burst of energy. Now that his food problem was solved, he could get down to work. He didin't want any unnecessary conflicts now. So, the best thing to do would be to clean up quickly and then go about his business with an honest conscience.
***
- Mm-hmm. - The girl stretched, waking up. Opening her eyes, she saw a sun-drenched, spacious room. An unfamiliar room.
Abruptly awakened, the girl sat up with a jerk, looking around warily.
- Good to see you awakened. - The lady tore herself away from the scroll, which she had been studying half-lying on the sofa.
- Ah! You... - The girl instantly remembered, and involuntarily staggered backward until she was against the back of the sofa. Her hand involuntarily darted downward, probing her lower abdomen. Was it or wasn't? The vivid memory ended with the appearance of a beautiful dress. What followed was a pink haze with indistinct fragments of memories.
Here she is hot and unbuckles her belt. Here's a young guy backing away from her like from a piece of cheese being shoved under his nose with a mousetrap. Here he is, but with the puzzled, frustrated look of a man who asked for a kitten and got three mice. Here he is, hovering over her like a mountain, his eyes fixed on something upward. He says something, then abruptly shuts up and swallows. After a few seconds of silence, he drops his gaze down to her, and his pupils begin to dilate. They stare into each other's eyes for a moment, and then their lips touch, and his mind finally leaves the body. Then there were just bits of tactility, like clenched hands and hot breath in the ear. There was also the odd sensation of thousands of warm sun beams bouncing across her body. But she wasn't sure about the latter.
They say it hurts after the first time. But why didn't anything hurt?
In any case, it was all arranged by a beautiful woman dressed as a Supreme Elder.
- Don't you worry so much, I fixed you up. - The Lady waved her hand lazily.
So it was. A frightening thought shackled her body. And then the girl sank, unconsciously, as if robbed of all her strength. What an ending of the little tale.
Elder grimaced unhappily. However, it did not particularly affected her plans.
- Well, girl. I have an offer for you. It is profitable for you. You want to be strong, right?
She nodded uncertainly.
- You have a good talent. I can give you techniques, pills and treasure. All I want in return is for you to get close to that young boy.
- To whom? - She said without raising her head.
- With Yee Rhys. Though you know him as Untouchable. But I suppose they'll soon forget that name and give him a new one.
- Why? - She felt nervous at the thought of seeing him again. Shall I go myself? No, no and no.
- That's not important right now. - The beauty lazily responded. - You don't have to do anything specific. It's enough to flicker in front of him from time to time and communicate when possible. How far your relationship will go depends solely on you. For me, the fact of regular communication is enough. It's not hard, is it?
The girl nodded uncertainly.
- Good girl. - She waved her hand, and a scroll, a couple of vials of pills, and a dozen paper talismans appeared on the table in front of her. - Consider it compensation for today's inconvenience. And if you accept my offer, you'll get more. I can even give you a sect's core technique. What do you think?
The Lady smiled slyly.
***
Yee Rhys stared gloomily at the flowing waters of the river.
He had had time to calm down and analyze what had happened during the cleaning. He did not like the result. And it wasn't because of what the Lady had done. The young man had already mentally prepared for the fact that she would spoil his life regularly and tastefully.
The problem was how he reacted. Almost snapped. He gave in to his anger.
And he wasn't in a position to let his emotions burst through now.
His psyche seems to have returned to normal after the merge. So inconvenient He'll have to rebalance his emotions. His status is still uncertain. Who in their right mind would allow an evil and vengeful genius to grow up? Especially a talented genius. From now on, anger, rage, hatred are taboo. Keep calm and rational. Exactly like this.
Yee Rhys turned his gaze to the drying clothes. The cleaning had been completed in only three hours. Clenching his fist, the young man listened to his sensations. It seemed his body strength had already reached the equivalent of two wisps. Perhaps more, without sparring, you couldn't tell. He'd like to check, but no.
Yee Rhys shook his head, pushing the compulsion away. For one thing, the Lady is just waiting for an excuse to put him somewhere far away. And there's no guarantee he'll be out of there before the tournament. And to miss such an opportunity is a grave mistake. After all, there are rewards at the tournament. He can only rely on himself right now. He did not want to ask the Lady, and she would not leave him any easy way. And secondly, he could test his strength during the tournament as well.
There were still a couple of hours left before dinner, so Yee Rhys took the opportunity to wash and launder. In the process, he discovered that his beard had not grown in all the time he had wandered as an Untouchable. Not even a stubble. And he had never once shaved. His hair was up to his waist. And his chin was clean and fresh. And before all this, at seventeen, he'd already had his first fuzz. I guess the lack of a beard was a racial trait, too.
He could cultivate while his clothes were drying. He had no time to spare, every minute counted.
Yee Rhys sat down in the grass and crossed his legs. Closing his eyes, he tuned in to absorb the Qi, but he suddenly froze. It's a strange feeling. The feeling of the world within a meter of himself. As if he could see everything with his eyes, and even better. A complete all-around view in all directions. Something similar felt in the Soaring Core Sphere, but not as clear. Could it be mental energy?
The young man plunged into an ancestral memory. That's right, Fa-Al initially have more mental energy than other races. Consequently, also improves memory, concentration, and reaction speed. And in general, mentalists think faster than their kind.
That means? Yee Rhys exhaled sharply and opened his eyes, realizing the information he had received. It allows them to master techniques faster and control them more precisely. And many times better.
Now he understood why mentalists are often considered to be diabolical cultivators. No-one simply understands them. If they're not understood, then others are afraid of them. That's all. While an ordinary cultivator swings at a mentalist, the latter has time to calculate the trajectory of his blow and to choose the optimal variant of his actions. He doesn't even need to waste any energy to do so.
Yee Rhys thoughtfully scratched the top of his head. That is, of course, a huge bonus. And a great hidden card. Since no one in the sect understood exactly what had happened to him. It was not for nothing that the Fa-Al always emphasized stealth. Decided, immediately after reaching the first wisp of Qi to focus on mental energy. After reaching the first current, you can use disguise, hiding racial traits and cultivation level. Or rather, it is better to leave the level of Qi cultivation as it is. The level of body development, on the other hand, should be slightly lowered. Mental abilities is better to hide as deeply as possible, outwardly leaving the human standard.
It seems that the Lady was only testing his body and talent for Qi. That, accordingly, was no longer concealable. She either forgot to check his mind's abilities or was unable to do so because of the distortions of the bloodline. And she did not know anything about the ancestral memory yet. Let her go on not knowing. The longer the better.
Ordinary Qi cultivators gain mental abilities only in the Crystal Core Sphere. In other words, everyone below that level should not suspect anything unless he influences them directly. Either the Lady or one of the other Grand Elders can expose him in the open. And moreover, regular cultivators do not learn mental techniques. Simply put, when he reaches the first current and imposes the Disguise, only those with a higher level of mental energy and knowledge will be able to uncover him. And that's with a direct scan. After reaching the Seven Rings Sphere, only the Inner Eye cultivators, such as the Patriarch, will pose a threat to the Disguise. Alas, it's all dreams.
For now, it is better to concentrate on cultivating Qi. The path is already formed, all that remains is to fill it with Qi and form the first wisp.
Usually it takes geniuses with a fourth-level talent about a month to form the first wisp. But it can be accelerated. First, some of that time is spent learning techniques. We've already gotten past that thanks to improved memory and past experience. Second, ordinary geniuses rarely cultivate more than six to eight hours a day. In our case, we can devote all the time to it, except for the time needed for work and immediate needs. That adds up to four, five hours at most. That leaves almost twenty hours, which would cut the number of days required in half. To two weeks.
Further, this is a fifth-level sect, albeit on the outskirts. Which means the level of Qi here is higher than back home. This will also help to win a couple of days. Also, the level of technique should be considered. Although Yee Rhys couldn't say anything for sure about the Seven Gems technique, but it was unlikely to slow him down. And lastly - the young man smiled - since mental abilities increase sensitivity, it is unlikely to be completely useless when collecting Qi. Let's see.
Yee Rhys concentrated and began to breathe according to a special system, trying to draw in as much Qi as possible with each breath.
An hour later, the experiment had to be stopped because of a slight headache from excessive tension. But the young man did not despair. That hour had almost double efficiency. Overexertion would do him no good now, so he switched to the normal cultivation mode.
After completing his meditation, Yee Rhys looked at the sun. Oops. Got a little carried away. But he still had time for dinner. Getting dressed and picking up his broom, he trotted lightly toward the canteen. The journey was uneventful. No one even backed away from him. Apparently, they didn't recognize him.
***
He managed not only to eat in the canteen, but also to find out some strategic information: what year it was. The young man sorrowed. Five years had passed. At home, he must have been lost. Perhaps even buried. Unfortunately, he had no chance to send word to his family. Moreover, Yee Rhys had no idea where he was now in relation to home. All that remained in his memory was that the old man had dragged him away with him through the portal. That is to say, it must be very far away, for in all his time here the young man had never once heard the names of familiar cities and sects.
As Yee Rhys was finishing his dinner, a mature man in his fifties approached him.
- Greetings to the Manager. - The young man hurriedly stood up and paid his respects to his immediate superior.
- Sit down, a walking trouble. - The man waved off the greeting with a weary smile. - I'm here to discuss. There's a personal inspection regime in place for you. All work must be done by noon, starting from tomorrow.
- Understood. - Nodded Yee Rhys.
- What have you done to the Grand Elder that she's begun to impose discipline? - Asked the Manager, wearily, and then it was as if he seemed to realize something. - Wait. Clean. Wearing normal clothes. No chain or collar. - He glanced at the jade slip that monitored the locations of all his staff. - I don't believe it. Boy, what happened to you? Oh, even the cultivation moved on.
- Healed. - Yee Rhys smiled slightly. He had a good impression of the Manager. Intelligent, efficient, strict but fair. - The seizures were over, and the opportunity to cultivate had returned. So the Elder decided to celebrate.
- I see. - The Manager nodded to himself. - I was afraid you'd be here till you were white in the face. Well, congratulations. Looks like you won't be with us long.
- Yeah. - The young man agreed. - I reckon my crib's gonna be on fire pretty soon. To avoid an epidemic, so to speak.
- That's nicely put. - The man grinned, patted his companion on the shoulder, and stood up. - Well, goodbye. I still have a lot to do. But I still hope to personally escort you to the Outer Sect and set fire to your wreck myself. Just remember the deadline.
With a good-natured chuckle, the Manager left.
Yee Rhys had his head down. Good man. But, alas, not a talent. He didn't make it to the Soaring Core Sphere until he was fifty, so he got an honorary position among the employees.
Yes, workers and employees in the sect were two different categories. Workers were young people between the ages of twelve and twenty with a talent for Qi above the second level. Employees, on the other hand, were disciples of the Outer Sect who decided to stay here after they reached the age of twenty-five. Most of them were losers who for various reasons had failed to reach the Soaring Core Sphere. The number of employees was also supplemented by cultivators of higher levels who, for one reason or another, failed to attain the rank of elders. There were rumors that in some cases, the sect even recruited employees from outside, which turned into an entire performance.
Just before Yee Rhys left, he heard a fresh rumor. A resting delivery girl was sharing the news with the dishwasher that some fool-girl had run into the Untouchable's house today. And he was happy to rape her.
And the whole story went with such details as "the withering roar of a hungry beast" and "moans that scared away all the crows". There was also a colorful scene of the "beast" chasing its "prey" through half the village, followed by an act of public rape.
The young man made his face like a brick and left the canteen with an even step, not wanting to listen to how this nonsense would end.
After the canteen, Yee Rhys went to the workshop, where he borrowed a hammer, a box of nails, and some planks. With all this good stuff, he finally made it to his house. After fixing the fence, the young man thought seriously about sleep for the night. When he carefully opened the door, a whiff of concentrated scent greeted him and made his eyes prickle. He pressed his nose beforehand.
Having refused to spend the night in the house, Yee Rhys was left with two options: in the yard or in the nearest woods. It would be nice to go farther away, but he did not want to miss breakfast. And wasting time on the road back and forth is also not a thrill. It already takes half an hour one way to get to work. And this is with a strengthened body. Earlier the trip took more than an hour there and back.
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