章節 3: Criminals' District
"Urgh! This humilation!"
A fat middle aged man with greasy, oily skin raged as he swept the table, various plates, bowls and cups shattered on the ground.
"A lowly slave dares to escape?"
Song Peizhi bellowed in anger, he continued wreaking havoc in the mansion.
The maids and servants kept their heads low and dared not breathe loudly, all of them wished to get the hell out of this place and hide until their noble master's anger is subdued.
"Who tied up the lowly slave?" - Song Peizhi lifted up his head, eyes brimming with anger, and asked a butler nearby.
"S-Sir, it was Officer Fan-"
Before the butler finished his sentence, Song Peizhi yelled out loudly:
"Lock him up in the dungeon!"
"Understood" – The butler shuddered when he heard his master's command.
Everyone in Green Lotus City knew of Song Peizhi's weird practices, he was an unscrupulous man who takes pleasure in torturing others, especially little kids and children.
His "dungeon" has built a nasty reputation over the years, many innocent lives has been lost in it.
Despite that, no one called him out on it.
Song Peizhi's status as a noble and his powerful backing made people turn a blind eye to his evil practices, even Green Lotus City Lord, despite being a Rank 2 Qi Expert, said nothing about it.
"I want that lowly slave in the dungeon by tomorrow!" - Song Peizhi commanded once again.
"Get working on it, Old Mao!"
An old, shivered servant with a skinny body bowed deeply: "This servant heeds your command, my lord."
"Good! No one shall ever tarnish the Song Family's reputation!" - Said Song Peizhi as he moved towards the window.
It was night.
The sky lanterns lit up the starry sky, shining in all kinds of dazzling colors, giving Green Lotus City some sort of ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere.
Song Peizhi was mesmerized in the city's beauty for a while before he chuckled and murmured in an eerily tone:
"Ximen Wei right? When you're in my hands, I will make sure to savour you slowly, hehe…"
Meanwhile.
"Now what?"
After resting for a while, Ximen Wei stood up and observed his surroundings.
He found himself in a dimly lit, narrow alley where excrement and faeces littered the ground.
A foul, heart-wrenching and disgusting odour pervaded the surroundings.
Ever since he jumped out of the horse carriage, he has been on the run for god knows how long.
Since he was not familiar with the city structure, he just ran.
Eventually, after he shook off the city guards and found himself in a safe environment, he relaxed for a bit and collapsed on the ground, evidently tired from the chase.
'In order to ensure my safety, I will have to leave the city…'
To Ximen Wei, Green Lotus City is riddled with dangers that threatens his freedom.
No matter who it is, no one wants to become a lowly servant.
Staying here is asking to get caught, he has to leave this place as soon as possible.
'It's going to be tough… Leaving through the city gates is extremely dangerous, I will have to smuggle myself out somehow. Maybe hide inside a caravan's goods?'
When the horse carriage passed through the city gates, Ximen Wei saw posters for wanted criminals, slave escapees etc…
Plus, since Green Lotus City is a reputed city governed by a Rank 2 Qi Expert, the city guards won't be slacking off, instead they will be working diligently, carefully inspecting every person who entered and exited.
If Ximen Wei were to be caught in these circumstances, his punishment won't be light. Even if his life may be endangered.
'Also there's a big issue… Basic survival will be tough, I'm an 8 year old child stranded in a city all alone by myself, with no money or shelter.'
Since he's also a child escapee, if he's ever found in the streets begging, he's done for.
'Ahhh what a headache...'
After getting up, Ximen Wei headed towards the streets.
'No matter how reluctant am I to do this, I have to steal in order to survive..'
The economic industry in Green Lotus City is flourishing.
Thanks to the protection of a Rank 2 Qi Expert, merchants always choose to trade their goods in this city.
If Ximen Wei were to steal from these wealthy merchants, he will fulfil the most basic condition for survival.
'Looks like I am in the city's outskirts?'
Compared to the bustling scene he saw when he first entered the city, the streets here were desolate and empty.
The buildings were damaged and not maintained properly.
Occasionally, Ximen Wei could catch sights of tattered figures inside the broken windows of these buildings.
These are criminals, beggars and slave escapees who came here to seek shelter.
'Sigh… I will have to live with these kind of people?'
Entering one of the buildings, Ximen Wei saw lots of people sleeping on the floor, all of them wore beggar clothings and there was a fair number of children here.
Ximen Wei's gaze swept across them, carrying a tinge of pity, eventually, it landed on a group of people.
Compared to the beggars and orphans, these people were carrying weapons such as clubs, knives and even swords. Plus, some of them were emitting a terrifying aura, exuding dense killing intent.
These people were evidently dangerous criminals, they had their fair share of killing and would not hesitate to attack any law enforcer once they step foot in this district.
At that moment Ximen Wei realized that he was fearlessly stepping into a den of wolves, but contrary to his thoughts, when he entered, they just glanced at him for a moment before they resumed their activity, not pay any heed to him.
'Looks like orphans and slave escapees like me are common in this place.'
After picking a pillar to lean on, Ximen Wei heaved a sigh of relief.
Despite this place being a den of dangerous criminals, Ximen Wei did not feel threatened at all.
No one in this place expressed malicious intent towards him, so he can afford to relax at the moment.
'This place can offer me shelter for some time, and I don't think the guards will come here.'
'Since my safety is not an issue for now, I have to think of ways to leave this city and start my cultivation journey.'
When he thought of cultivation, Ximen Wei's eyes shone with a brilliant light.
Becoming a Qi Expert is the dream of many youths, the same went for Ximen Wei, after all, his only hope to return home lies in there.
Without the supernatural powers of Qi Experts, Ximen Wei can forget about reuniting with his family again.
'As long as I can become a Qi Expert, I will be able to return to my home…'
Cultivating Qi is his primary goal for now, as long as he can do so, he can leave this rotten world and meet up with his real family.
'How do I go about this tho? Where can I find people who are willing to teach me Qi?'
Qi Experts are few and far between, they are usually busy holing themselves and cultivating or enjoying the beauty and wealth of life.
Finding someone who teaches Qi is already an arduous task in itself, even if Ximen Wei finds such a person, how is he supposed provide sufficient payment?
Even nobles such as Song Peizhi find it hard to provide compensation, let alone Ximen Wei who is as poor as a pauper.
Qi Experts here place emphasis on equal exchange, without enough benefits to drive them, they will never agree on teaching strangers their precious cultivation methods.
'Unless I find a cultivation manual? But where would I find such a thing…'
Information about Qi cultivation is restricted.
In markets and shops, no such thing could be find.
Even if you find a book or a manual about cultivation, it will likely contain superficial information such as stories and legends of Qi Experts.
That could be seen from Ximen Wei's personal experience, despite reading tens of books about cultivation, none of them mentioned a simple thing such as Ranks etc…
'Come to think about it, since Song Peizhi knows confidential information concerning Qi Experts, he has to have some sort of manual or techniques that can allow me to cultivate.'
A malicious glint of light flashed across Ximen Wei's eyes as he started to scheme, eventually harbouring some ill intent.
'But it's too dangerous… The mansion of a noble will have strict security and I'm pretty sure if I get caught willingly, I may never see the light of day again..'
When slave escapees are caught, they simply get executed, there are some exceptions but they did not fare any better, they will receive harsh punishment that may cripple them physically and mentally.
Ximen Wei valued his safety more than anything else at the moment, he would not risk his life unless there was an 80% chance of success or more.
Plus, he's still too young and the life ahead of him is still long, he believed he will definitely come across safer, more stable chances at cultivating.
'I'm too tired for now, I should sleep, hopefully I find something interesting tomorrow.'
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