Hoffnung heard the whistling of the spear as it shot towards him. Since his last breakthrough, all he'd done was reinforce his foundation. It wasn't enough. Not here. Not now.
Everyone here was at his stage of cultivation.
Who would have thought that the most looked down upon elder in the sect was bad at teaching cultivation?
The only reason he had survived so long was because he had known they were coming for him before they actually came.
It was madness to fight them.
As a boy, he'd heard tales—cultivators slaying opponents a stage above them.
Legends.
Lies.
Those who could get up and fight multiple other cultivators at the same stage, or fight even a stage above themselves.
Those were myths
He hadn't seen any of that.
The cultivator world was strictly hierarchical. It was bow and then bow some more.
Bow, scrape, and beg louder than the next man.
At least he knew who the pursuers were, or at least, who they worked for. Hung Lee.
That guy had never let him go, always searching him out, and when he couldn't be found, then he'd send his cronies to make life hard for him.
Why was he so angry now? He'd been content to just taunt and bully Huo Feng.
Why did he suddenly send people to kill Huo Feng? What was the problem?
It was a plain, as far as cultivators go, looking lady; she was barely at the first stage of cultivation, only breaking through a few weeks ago.
She had favored Huo Feng over Hung Lee, and Hung Lee couldn't stand it. Did he really care about the cultivator lady? No.
If she said no…then he had his ways.
No. What angered him was who she had chosen over him. Huo Feng! Not one of the seniors!
Not even someone with a higher cultivation base than him?
Someone he couldn't touch.
Did she look down on him? Did she think that Huo Feng could protect her from his claws?
How infuriating.
He put a target on Huo Feng's head almost immediately. How dare she?
Now, Huo Feng was here. Trying to win a fight against 3? No 4? Cultivators. All out to harm him. And that's if they were being merciful.
He had to do something or he wouldn't be getting out of here alive.
The spear whizzed towards Huo Feng, with Huo Feng barely dodging. Steel kissed skin. Slicing a burning line down his arm. Creating a small gash on his left bicep.
"Aargh"
Poison. There was poison on the spear, Huo Feng was sure.
'Dammit!'
He had to escape, there was no way he was winning this.
He turned around and ran again. Better than staying and fighting off these men. A dog with its tail between its legs can still live to fight another day.
One of the men chasing him shouted, "Boss! He's running away again!"
A smirk crept up his hooded face. "Don't worry, all we have to do is chase behind him now." He spread out his hands. "Wolf tactic!"
The rest of his group spread out and started chasing Huo Feng. Slower this time.
I left the forge. I had burdened Big Randy and Igor's hospitality enough. Luckily, not a lot of people were hurt. It was just a few apprentices who had been knocked down by a door when the overseer and his people came in.
I was going to Azul, he had given Yao Po the gold she was owed–My gold!--I clutched my heart.
But he still owed me a few silvers. At least 150. He still hadn't paid me for the beavers I had delivered.
It wasnt long before I was at his workshop. I was getting familiar with the place.
I walked in. Not bothering to knock this time. I nodded my greetings to his apprentice before greeting Azul.
"You haven't given me my silver."
Azul clutched the shear he was using to defur a skin in his hand a bit tighter, it looked like one of the beavers I had caught.
"Was your gold not enough? I could have just told you a different number than I got paid and given you less."
"No. And we are not friends. I'm sure you've already pocketed some silver for yourself." He flinched at the accusation.
He got up, shears in his hands. To a spot at the end of the workshop. He pulled over a rug, then opened the small chest that it was covering before taking out a small pouch of silver.
I noticed there were similar hiding spots around the workshop, but I didn't say anything.
He walked out to me, then held out his hand, "Here you go."
I took it, then tried to weigh it with my hands. "Aaargh!" Azul stepped back. I had used the wrong arm. My right was still burning with pain. It looked better, but that didn't mean it was completely healed.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes"
"Good, could you please leave my fine establishment? This isn't a place for peas–people like you to bleed out."
I wanted to argue, but I really was bleeding. Not a lot, but enough to mean I should probably go back to Healer Po soon.
I turned to head out, but took a piece of cloth from a nearby table. I looked at Azul for confirmation to take the cloth. I didn't want to steal, but then I realized he had probably taken more from me than I had given him credit for. Before leaving.
I'd go to Yao Po after meeting with Huo Qianlei.
I really didn't want to this.
I walked into Huo Qianlei's place. He was already home. Weird. It was too early for him to be in the house; the girls were playing with mud queens in the back of the house. I could hear their shouts from here.
Huo Qianlei's head immediately snapped towards the sound.
"Khan, what happened to you? Why are you bleeding again?"
Haah. I let out a long sigh. I didn't know how he was going to react. How do you avoid confrontations like this?
"I'm…" I sighed again. The one person who had been helpful to me when I first came. If not for him, I wouldn't have been able to come this far. "I'm sorry for not telling you."
He got up and walked towards me, I couldn't tell if he was angry or not.
"Why didn't you tell me in the first place? You could have gotten killed!"
I didn't know how to answer. I was planning to die. What should I have told him?
His daughters would have cried. I wouldn't bear leaving. Why did I care?
"I don't know. I thought I could handle it."
"Handle it? Look at you! You're a good hunter, but you're still a mortal." I flinched at that. Old wounds.
He raised his hands up to his head. "Don't worry about it, you're alive. You still have your hunting job right? I'm sure the supervisor will give you a few weeks to recover."
'Huh? What?' Did he get kicked off the job?
"Did you get removed as a farmer?"
He bowed his head in shame. "Yes"
"What? Why? You're a good farmer, If anyone should have been let go, it should be Li Xue. That man barely does anywork and sucks up to me and the guards for extra meals.
"The guards said I should be gotten rid off because I had family issues."
Oh no! This was my fault.
I pulled the silver pouch from my inside my robe. I found something." I set the pouch on the table, silver coins clinking. "You're moving. Tonight, if we can." I said, setting the pouch down hard enough to rattle the table. "You're not staying here another night."