Escaping Fate

by Tinalynge

  Unfortunately, it was obvious that this young man had found a flaw in her offer and the woman was unhappy with herself for having been greedy. Although she was unhappy, the smile on her face had never vanished; her outside appearance never once displayed her true feelings.

  “The medicinal pills will obviously be a mixture that will improve your cultivation base and replenish your energy of the heavens and the earth.” she said. Her smile grew as she saw that the frown on the young man’s face was replaced by a smile. Although she herself was partly feeling sour, she was also excited.

  If she had been too greedy, she would without a doubt have lost the whole transaction of the Yearning Sunflower. It was a sale she could not afford to mess up. Thus, she quickly sold the more expensive pills to the young man who now looked satisfied.

  “Buying medicinal pills like those would be my greatest pleasure,” Xu Min said as his face was filled with a cheeky smile. The woman could not help but feel that although it was a good deal, she had been robbed.

  With her beauty, she was used to the seller accepting her bid no matter how bad it was for them. However, this young man had made her question her own beauty; at the same time, pay a fair price for a flower. This was something that she had never experienced before and it made her feel slightly confused as to who this young master could be.

  Looking at his clothes, he was obviously from a family with money. But when thinking about all the different families within Ri Chu City, she came to a conclusion that he did not fit into any of them. Could he perhaps be a traveller? But travellers usually wore worn clothes. They would neither be this young nor would they be interested in medicinal pills. They would be interested in hard, cold cash instead.

  While the woman was quite curious about the young man, she refused to display any of it on the outside. With a teasing wink, she left the room to pick up the medicinal pills she had agreed to trade for the Yearning Sunflower.

  Waiting patiently in the room, Xu Min was growing increasingly impatient as he wished to rush back home and experience just how efficient these medicinal pills were. He knew that these medications were the reason why the young master was capable of keeping up with his cultivation back in his hometown. He, as a servant boy, had only eaten one medicinal herb once before and that was the one his sister had provided for him.

  Although he had a bag filled with medicinal herbs, he did not know anything about them or about what kind of effect they would have on him. He was aware that some medicinal plants were even poisonous before they were refined. He had no wish to gamble his life. Trading the flowers for the sake of medicinal pills seemed to be the most efficient way for him to increase his cultivation base.

  Having waited for around fifteen minutes, Xu Min looked at the door as the beauty walked through. In her hand was a massive case and within the case were rows of beautiful medicinal of many colours.

  Looking at these pills, a gleam of excitement appeared within Xu Min’s black eyes that usually never displayed any of his emotions. The young man had long since learnt well how to completely conceal his emotions. What went on within him was one of the reasons for the woman to be completely incapable of reading him.

  However, the joy he felt when he accepted the medicinal pills was astonishing. Even he, who usually concealed everything perfectly, was incapable of completely hiding the excitement that was growing within him.

  His excitement did not pass by the beautiful woman. She felt quite disatisfied that the thing that caused him to show interest was not her or her beauty, but medicinal pills. In the end, this told her that this young man lived and breathed for the sake of cultivating.

  The woman once more glanced at the young man who had handed her the Yearning Sunflower as he accepted the case filled with medicinal pills. As she glanced at him, she looked at the bag by his side. She noticed that it seemed to be filled with items.

  She understood that this young man most likely possessed more treasures. So, she came to the conclusion that befriending him was in no way a bad idea even if he was not interested in her beauty. She let go of all her pride and leaned forward while clasping her hands to slightly bow to the young man.

  Seeing this, Xu Min was taken aback. He had long since understood that this woman was used to get by on her beauty alone. However, now she had no air of haughtiness or arrogance. Instead, she was incredibly polite.

  “My name is Yong Meilin,” the woman said as she had bowed to the man. Her face was gentle and her voice bore no sign of the previous haughtiness. “Should you have any more items you wish to sell, then come and tell them that you need to speak with Yong Meilin. I’ll make sure to give you favourable prices. When you are in a need to buy anything, call for me and I’ll find it for you at the best price.”

  Hearing the words, Xu Min was taken aback. Since he was shown with respect and friendliness, he returned the gesture. He clasped his hands and bowed slightly. Although he was incapable of trusting humans, he knew how to repay kindness as the woman was being very kind. This relationship could be of great importance for him later on, should he be in need of help to purchase more pills.

  “My name is Xu Min,” the man introduced himself. Usually the seller would never give away their name and would be anonymous while dealing with a sale. However, Xu Min decided to be friendly instead. His name caused the woman to have a ponderous expression on her face. She was no longer hiding anything.

  Her ponderous expression came from the fact that she knew nothing about this young man and that she never heard about a Xu Min before. So the only conclusion that she could draw was that he was indeed a traveller. Either he had travelled to the city recently or he was giving a fake name.

  Having greeted one another, Xu Min once more nodded towards the woman. He proceeded to turn around and leave the room. He exited the building and stepped out onto the street. Now that his bag was filled with the case of pills, he rushed back towards the inn.

  ‘How did you do it?’ Xu Min asked Cao Cao as they made their way home. The snake was smug as it was coiled around his neck.

  ‘Do what?’ He asked with a teasing tone as he was clearly eager to hear Xu Min praising him. The young man did just that as he knew that it would make the snake be in a better mood.

  ‘During this entire time at the Alluring Treasure Pavilion, nobody and not even that woman Meilin noticed that you were coiled around my neck. Are you able to vanish?’

  Smiling happily, the snake shook its head. Suddenly, everyone around Xu Min were definitely able to see the snake that was coiled around his neck. The glances sent his way were not few.

  ‘It’s Shroud of Shadows,’ the snake said, ‘I’m a demon beast, and the older I get, the more skills I learn. Demon beasts can’t learn martial art skills; what we learn are inborn abilities that we unlock the older we get.’

  ‘I am only around fifty years old, so I only have around five different abilities I can use,’ Cao Cao said with a downcast expression. Xu Min was deeply taken aback to know that the childish snake that constantly spoke about food was so much older than he himself.

  ‘So what is this Shroud of Shadows thing?’ Xu Min asked curiously. He did not know much about the different demon beasts so all the info he could get was something that for which he was very grateful.

  ‘Shroud of Shadows is more or less a camouflage ability,’ Cao Cao said enthusiastically, ‘I can become one with any shadow and hide myself so that no one can see me. That is, as long as they are not specialised in the same sort of abilities as I am.’

  ‘So you can hide in any shadow?’ Xu Min asked, astonished. He was greatly amazed by the ability to become nothing. It was also an ability that he was capable of using later on.

  ‘Then, can you tell me about your other abilities?’ Xu Min asked curiously. Cao Cao shook his head. ‘Sorry,’ he said with a smirk on his face. ‘I might tell you after a scrumptious dinner though!’

  Hearing this, Xu Min could not help but laugh at the small snake and nod his head
. He had already been given information that he could use later on while encountering demonic beasts in the future.

  Arriving at the inn, Xu Min once more ordered a feast to be sent to his room. Before he went up the stairs and sat down on his bed, he finally picked up the box of medicinal pills.

  Two-thirds of the pills were all red while one-third were silver. The red pills were meant for increasing his cultivation base. The silver ones were for replenishing his energy if it was low after a fight or even mid-battle.

  Xu Min had a pride of his own; however, he was willing to do almost anything as his survival was crucial for him to be capable of taking his revenge. If taking medicinal pills during a battle was needed, then he would definitely be using his pills that way.

  After the food arrived in the room, Cao Cao ate all the food he could while Xu Min ate just a small portion as usual. Having eaten, Xu Min sat down on the bed as his eyes focused completely on the box in front of him. An uncontrollable smile adorned his face as he picked up one of the red pills from within the box and slowly placed it in his mouth. He felt how it melted on the tongue and pure energy flooded down his throat.

  Chapter 28 - Balancing Energies

  Xu Min looked at the box of medicinal pills in front of him. With a hesitating and slow hand, he picked up one of the red pills and slowly placed one inside his mouth. He felt it as it melted on his tongue. An overwhelming amount of pure energy seemed to fill his mouth and slowly flow down his throat. It continued to flow until it had reached the dantian which was just below his navel.

  The dantian was the place where one stored the mist-like energy known as Qi. This was the energy that came from refining the essence of the heavens and the earth.

  This energy that had just entered Xu Min’s body was not refined Qi. Instead, it seemed to be something that allowed for all the pores within his body to increase its absorptivity to suck in the energy of the heavens and the earth. This allowed for a flood of essence to enter his body and float throughout the meridians before it finally became fully refined. The Qi would then settle together with the rest of the energy within the dantian cave.

  Xu Min had been an early stage One-Star Warrior by the time he had eaten the first pill. As he ate it, he sat down on the bed, closed his eyes and started to meditate. He wanted to use the effects of the pills to their absolute maximum potential.

  Seated like this, Xu Min was astonished. He was filled with veneration for how strong these medications truly were. One pill alone took around seven hours of nonstop cultivation before the effects were to stop working. Xu Min found himself shocked when he felt that his cultivation base had increased to that of the middle stage One-Star Warrior. As soon as he stood up, Xu Min felt rather queasy. His body was bursting with energy but unfortunately, the energy felt as though it was bursting out from his body. The speed that he had absorbed the energy had left his body feeling slightly uncomfortable. Had it not been for the fact that he had the physique of a Two-Star Warrior, he would have been feeling much worse by now.

  Pondering about this for a while, Xu Min finally stood up and lifted a hand to the air. His hand expanded and glowed with a pearly white aura. It took up the entire ceiling of the room. By using the energy that was stacking inside of him, it caused the young man to feel much more comfortable. It was as though an overfilled balloon finally managed to let go of some air.

  But even though some of the energy had been released, Xu Min still felt uncomfortable. He needed to balance his cultivation stance. However, he was uncertain as to where he should be doing this. Standing within the hotel room, it was obvious that training the two stances he knew would end up destroying the room. This would not allow him to continue his training.

  Gritting his teeth, Xu Min made his way down the stairs of the inn. Cao Cao curiously coiled on Xu Min’s throat as he found the entire process interesting. Now that Xu Min felt how more and more energy was clashing inside him, his eyes darkened with displeasure.

  Only now did he understand that the young master most likely vented to Xu Min as a reason to let go of the extra energy stored within his body.

  Running through town, Xu Min hoped to come across a brawl somewhere. However, he was unable to find any and eventually found himself in front of the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. Sighing deeply, he looked at the location once more. He wondered whether or not to ask for assistance, but he quickly decided not to. He did not wish to owe that woman anything so he made his way away from the Alluring Treasure Pavilion. As he was about to leave, he noticed that the building next to the pavilion was lit up and people were flooding in through the open gates.

  Looking at the building, Xu Min frowned slightly but he quickly shrugged as he moved towards it. His curiosity piqued as he slipped into the stream of people.

  Once more, an entrance fee was required to be paid. This place had the same feeling as the Alluring Treasure Pavilion yet did not looked the same.

  This sturdy building was neither as elaborately adorned nor was it filled with powerful guards. Yet, everyone suddenly decided to enter this building much like they had the previous night when they were trying to enter the Alluring Treasure Pavilion.

  Paying the entrance fee, Xu Min looked around only to see that the entire building was filled with small arenas. Within these arenas, experts were battling each other. Many different martial art skills were visible throughout the entire building and ripples of energy were constantly distorting the air.

  Looking at this place, Xu Min was completely flabbergasted. He was astonished because what he needed the most had appeared right in front of him. After scanning his surroundings, he quickly found a place where he could sign up to participate in the fights. There was another place where he could bet on the ones he thought would win too.

  Walking towards the registration counter, Xu Min could not help but see how a beautiful woman was attracting the attention of many men both young and old alike. Having looked at her, he found out that it was Yong Meilin. With a grimace, he hid behind other cultivators who rustled towards the counter to sign up for the battles.

  As he reached the counter, Xu Min found that one would only fight depending on the rank he was and each win had a cash prize. The more popular a fighter became, the more they would get paid upon winning. One could only participate in five battles a day. When one reached a hundred consecutive wins, the reigning winner would become a champion and receive special benefits alongside a larger cash prize.

  Xu Min was not keen on the cash prize, but was interested in the fact that he could absorb medicinal pills. Afterwards, he could come here and use up the incredible and overwhelming pent-up energy.

  “Hello, I’m a One-Star Warrior,’ the young man said. His words caused many people around him to stare at him with shocked expressions. He was clearly still very young and his face still had a childish look to it. To hear such a young child say that he was a One-Star Warrior caused great shock as the majority would not reach that rank before the age of thirty. Geniuses would reach it by the age of twenty, but only the geniuses had access to medicinal pills. They were the only ones who had the ability to become Warriors of the First Rank before they turned twenty.

  “You are a One-Star Warrior?” the clerk asked doubtfully. But as soon as he saw the young man’s nod, he no longer continued asking. Instead, he provided an iron medallion with the number two hundred and seventy one.

  “You will find the battle schedule over there,” the man said. He pointed towards a wall where there was a list of names which were placed against each other and a small mark saying which one of the many arenas the battle would be held on.

  Having accepted the mark, Xu Min instantly went towards the wall which was filled with numbers and arenas. Looking at the wall, there were three men constantly replacing the old numbers with new numbers and writing the winning side on one of the columns to the sides.

  Making his way over here, the young man did everything he could to avoid Yong Meilin. Although he had ended last nig
ht on friendly terms with the woman, he still had no urge to try and proceed to create a better relationship with her. He was more than satisfied with what he had already seen of the beautiful woman.

  Looking at the wall, Xu Min had to wait for some time before his number finally appeared. As he looked at it, he saw that he was up against a combatant who had already won three battles this evening. Seeing this, the young black-haired man felt a tinge of excitement grow inside of him. This sparked an urge to fight and put his life on the line while improving his cultivation base. Although he felt like putting his life on the line, he knew that he could not jeopardize his life for something as small as an arena match.

  There were two ways to lose within the arena. One was to lose one’s life and die and the other was to forfeit. Should Xu Min be in a situation where he was to die, forfeiting was without a doubt was the dishonorable way he would go. His mindset was much like the majority of the cultivators present.

  Walking towards the arena, it became harder and harder to move behind other people to hide from Yong Meilin. She was fortunately quite busy watching the Fifth and Sixth Ranked Warriors do battle.