Chapter 353 – Life 92, Age 16, Martial Disciple 1

Meeting Jon had forced me to be far more deliberate with my actions. He appeared to be a traveler from another world, and he likely had an unusually potent blessing—one that might allow him to grow in strength across time loops. Until I knew more about him—and about what the Earthly Dao was trying to accomplish by sending him here—I needed to be supremely careful.

Part of me wanted to just kill the man and move my permanent reset point forward to ensure his death was permanent. However, even setting aside the morality of such an action, I wasn’t sure if this would work. The Earthly Dao had plucked Jon from his home world and stuffed his soul into this new body. If I were to kill him, who’s to say that the Earthly Dao wouldn’t just shove his soul into a new vessel?

I couldn’t believe that meeting Jon like this was random. There had to be something deeper at play, and trying to bypass the issue would only make things worse. For example, what if the Earthly Dao brought Jon back with an even more powerful blessing? What if he learned that I had caused his death?

Taking actions against Jon that were morally indefensible might only create more problems for the future. So, I needed to be careful with how I handled him.

Still, I couldn’t let Jon’s mere existence completely overturn all my priorities. I needed to learn more about this continent. I needed to find a place to settle my clan—a place where it would be able to grow powerful enough to start generating Spirit- and Ancestor-level energy. I just needed to do this in a way that wouldn’t arouse Jon’s suspicions. If he learned that I was asking basic questions about this place’s geographical and political landscape, then he might become suspicious.

 So, while I had originally wanted to gain this information from the Hall, I instead decided to explore the city to see what I could find out.

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In the economic district surrounding the Hall of the Herb Lord, there were merchants and traders from a least a dozen different empires—some nearby, and some far away. These merchants could be an excellent source of information about the surrounding lands.

Where should I start, though?

I was immediately drawn to one of the buildings that I had noticed previously—the wide, squat one with walls formed from animal hides.

When I approached, I found two Martial Lords standing guard at its entrance. These weren’t the green- and brown-skinned people of the Hall of the Herb Lord, but they weren’t ‘Nine Rivers’ people either. Their heads and faces were… ‘normal,’ but below the neck, their skin was covered in a thick layer of fur. One of the guard’s fur was rust-red, while the other’s was a dusky gray.

More important than their appearance, though, was that both guards were wearing Rank 4 refined armor and holding Rank 4 refined polearms. These items hadn’t been refined from metal, however. From what I could tell, they looked like they had been formed from the bones and hides of demon beasts.

When I entered the shop itself, I was greeted by the sight of a tannery mixed with an abattoir. To my left, large stretchers held thick hides, and below them, scattered about on the floor, were piles of animal bones. To my right, massive chunks of meat hung on hooks suspended from the ceiling.

As I took in this sight, a muscular woman covered in dark brown fur approached me. “May I help you, sir?”

Her tone was polite, but it hid a hint of impatience. I was a basic mortal who had yet to start cultivating, and I was dressed in simple tan robes. Aside from me, the lowest-level person in the store was a Peak Grandmaster—even the shop attendants were all Grandmasters. It was clear to everyone that I didn’t belong here.

“Yes, thank you. I’m looking to purchase information. If you have any maps or books that contain knowledge of the surrounding lands, I would like to buy them.” I gestured off to the hides. “I would also like any information that you can provide me about where these demon beasts came from.”

The attendant narrowed her eyes. “We aren’t an information house if you—”

I cupped my fists and bowed my head. “I understand. However, my coin is good.”

Reaching into the shoddily-made storage bag at my waist, I accessed my inner world, pulled out a handful of spirit stones, and moved my hand so that only the woman across from me could see what I was holding. “Any information that you can provide me would be helpful.”

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I was only able to purchase two maps at that store, but both of them were priceless treasures.

The first was a map of the surrounding territories. It had originally been created to help hunters locate suitable prey, so it had markers indicating the locations of several known demon beast nets. To me, though, the most valuable knowledge it contained was its title.

Map of the Proud Eagle Kingdom — Western Island, Domain of the Nine Rivers, Territory of the Li Clan, Realm of Flying Raptor Sovereign, Golden Eagle Empire

This didn’t tell me everything, but it told me a hell of a lot.

The second was a map of this city that I had found myself in—Proud Eagle City, capital of the Proud Eagle Kingdom. This map marked the locations of several important landmarks, including the Scholar’s Tower. Supposedly, this Tower had a library that contained any information that one might want to know. Hopefully, it could even tell me what the hell this ‘Western Island’ was.

After leaving the shop, I wanted to immediately head toward the Scholar’s Tower, but if I showed up looking like a low-level servant, would I even be allowed to enter? Merchant houses were one thing, but if I wanted to have enough face to enter a house of learning, then I needed to get cleaned up first.

So, I first headed to an inn and took a bath. Then, I got dressed in the finest mortal silks that my inner world had to offer.

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By following the map’s directions, I found myself at the base of a massive, octagonal pagoda that looked to have been carved from a single block of gleaming white marble.

Just as I was able to step forward and enter this tower, however, an arm shot out, wrapped around my shoulder, and pulled me off to the side. I had wanted to fight back against this, but when I saw who my attacker was, I froze.

After bringing me to an alleyway that shielded us from the prying eyes of passers-by, Jon gave me a wide grin. “Fang, you cleaned yourself up. Is that a new robe? You look good. I barely recognize you.”

My cheek twitched as I looked at the man. He was wearing the same sweat-stained clothing as the last time we had met. As I watched, Jon crouched down, ran his hands across the alley’s dirty cobblestones, then wiped them on his pants.

“What—”

“Fang,” he said, interrupting me, “it’s good you’re here. I could use a bit of help.”

Hesitantly, I nodded. “What do you need me to do?”

Jon grinned and motioned toward the Scholar’s Tower. “When I visited that place yesterday, a few people gave me nasty looks, but no one said anything to stop me. They just ignored me. No one even complained that my filthy hands would get dirt on their precious scrolls.”

“I… see. So…”

“So, I need your help. You go in first. Then, when I enter, just make a fuss about how ‘this isn’t a place that a worthless street urchin like you can enter.’ Make a commotion, and draw over as many people as you can, all right? I’ll take it from there.”

“But—”

Jon patted me on the back. “Don’t worry. You’ll do great. You’re dressed perfectly for the part.”

My lips twitched several times as I tried to think of a response, but eventually, I closed my eyes and nodded. “Fine.”

If nothing else, this should at least give me a bit more information about how the man’s blessing worked.

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As I walked toward the tower, I pulled on the earth qi in my surroundings and used it to remove the dirt that Jon had gotten on my robes. When I arrived, I paid the receptionist the 5-gold entry fee and entered the library.

Then, I immediately searched for any books or scrolls that looked like they might contain valuable information. With Jon here, I didn’t want to advertise what kind of information I was looking for, so I just ran my hand along the spines of each book and stored them in my mental library for future perusal.

A few minutes later, I heard a small commotion near the front of the library and knew that it was time for me to make my move.

“Sir.” The receptionist was looking at Jon with barely contained fury. “Before you enter, please find a place to Wash. Your. Hands.”

Jon gave her an honest, confused look. “What? But I didn’t hear you asking anyone else to do this.”

“Sir—”

After I had left, Jon must have found a mud pile to play in. His hands were covered in a layer of sludge, and it was clear that he had only ‘cleaned’ them by wiping them on his shirt.

Did I really want to help such a person?

I sighed, shook my head, and walked over to the two of them.

“How dare you enter the Scholar’s Tower?” I raised my voice so that it was loud enough to be heard throughout the entire first floor of the library. “This isn’t a place for filth like you.”

The receptionist looked at me. “Sir—”

I looked toward the Tower’s entrance. “Guards, why are you just standing there? Who allowed this trash to enter the Tower? Can he even read? Throw him out!”

At the entrance, the two men standing guard looked at each other, but they didn’t move to follow my orders.

“Sir, everyone who pays the fee is allowed to enter the Scholar’s Tower. We cannot—” The receptionist was doing her best to de-escalate the situation.

Jon had other intentions, however. He let out a soft chuckle. “Of course I can read—better than you, at least. I’m the best poet you’ve ever met. I might not be the best in the world, but if I say that I’m the second best in this city, then no one would dare to claim to be the first.”

This finally drew the attention of others in the library.

“You dare!?” The shout came from a young man who had descended from the second floor. “Not only did you show no respect for the library by entering while covered in filth. Not only did you cause a commotion that disrupted everyone’s studies. But you also dare to claim to be the best poet in the city? Your arrogance is unfathomable.”

Jon raised his head to the man and cupped his fists lightly. “As you say, brother. As you say. Even though I am indeed the best poet in this city, I should not have been so boastful.”

The young man began shaking in fury. “Fine! You claim to be the best poet in the city? I challenge you! Let us compete. Let me see your extraordinary capabilities.”

Jon blinked at him. “Oh? Are you worthy of competing against me?”

“You… You…” The young man looked from Jon to the receptionist. “Contact the elders. I demand a formal challenge. I will not allow this fool to continue challenging the sanctity of the Scholar’s Tower!”

The receptionist bowed her head immediately. “As you say, Young Master.”