“But, to be honest, it's not all treasures and blessings.” Uncle Peng, or the City Lord for most, continued. “This stunt cost me quite the riches. Had it been only you, it would have been fine, but with the complications you had, I had to change plans a bit.”

  At that, the man filled one of his huge hands with various sweets and tossed them in his mouth, chewing slowly.

  “I'm not sure I understand, Uncle Peng. What complications? And how did they affect your… plans?”

  "Hm? ‘U shee-” he cleared his throat, swallowed enough treats to feed the boy's family for a day, and started again. “Didn't your ancestor, or the doctor, tell you anything?”

  Chang Heng gave a quick look at Old Man Ling. It wasn’t fair to be annoyed at him, but he still felt it, for a moment.

  “No, not really. Was my situation worse than we thought?”

  “Kind of. The doctor was supposed to heal only the wounds that Xie Shun left you, to make everything fair to the other participants. You wouldn't have pain you weren't supposed to have, but also wouldn't have received special treatment. But,” This time, he swallowed a little cube of meat, without even chewing it. “to do something so precise, she needed the help of the Heavens. And the Heavens did not want to help. In fact, the opposite. So she was forced to heal you fully, and I was forced to pay her to also take care of the other seven participants.”

  The news should have been shocking, scary, but all Chang Heng felt was a little hole filling once again inside of him.

  “It was quite the expense, boy, that I had to pay out of my own pocket, but I cannot take it out on you.”

  “Do not call him “boy”. He doesn’t like it.” The old man intervened.

  At that, Liu Peng was surprised, with comically big eyes to make it more obvious than needed. A small smile made it clear it was intentional.

  “Ling! Since when do you take such care of your nephews? We should keep it a secret from the rest of your clan, or they’ll be so jealous! Don’t you think? Bahaha”

  As the man kept ranting, Chang Heng couldn’t help but notice how different he was when talking to his peers, or what came close to it, at least.

  The trio kept chit-chatting until the table was empty. There was enough food for more than ten people, and yet they finished it all in one sitting. A servant with a quare chin looked at the scene, annoyed that no one had offered him a new job. The cook cried when the City Lord asked for some more pastries to snack on during the day.

  …

  The sun was still up while Chang Heng was being carried to the infirmary. The banquet, the working, the conversations, and the healing had yet to happen, and just like his, the lives of many others never truly stopped.

  When the last match of the day ended, Xin and Granny Baobao, although she preferred to call her with more creative nicknames, went into the open space around the Colosseo. Thanks to the delay caused by the Chang boy, the type of vendors and stalls there had yet to change, luckily for them, for a first until the next day.

  She had been there a few times over the years, but it was a first for her to see the special stalls of the tournament day- or, for once, days. Usually, she’d smell a lot more food, see a lot more knick-knacks, hear the ringing of sharpened blades and shouts of rowdy merchants.

  But just for one day, all those people had lost their place to put the stands. Thankfully, someone had covered for them: merchants of “treasures”, of weapons and Techniques, armors and mysterious talismans of all kinds, catering to the eight remaining fighters that would be back in the arena just a good night of sleep later.

  Taking a closer look, it wasn’t as if all the usual sellers had been replaced. Simply, those who had managed to find some space for themselves had adapted to the special occasion: the food was one to carry and eat during the day, not sitting there, the shouts were of smart, small merchants who would make for betting houses of the poor, the knick-knacks tailored to the spectators, from pieces of wood filled with rice to make noise, to banners with the names of the fighters written on them.

  Xin couldn’t say she disliked seeing a kid picking one with hers on it, even if it was more for the cute pink colour than who it represented. And she didn’t hide a laugh when boys her age, or maybe a little older, picked one for Chang Heng- the funny part came when they proclaimed they’d burn it during his next match as a protest for how long and boring his previous ones had been.

  People turned and blushed when they heard the sound, and Granny carried her away before she was recognized.

  The duo kept wandering the market. There, the girl was like a breeze, a silent presence that made everything a little bit more peaceful, a little bit more beautiful, but went unnoticed. And even when she grabbed someone's attention, all she got was a smile and a wave of their hands, which she politely reciprocated.

  It was so different from her usual life, but she didn't dislike it.

  But it wasn't the time for pointless musings, after all, they were there for a good reason. Well, reasons. She couldn’t say no to Granny’s plans, but she had her own ideas too.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Those she’d be against the next day would be from rich and powerful families or sects, pampered by them, taught martial arts from a young age, and use rare Techniques that far surpassed what she had. The only ones Granny had accepted to spend money on were those that would make her better at her job, obviously for the lowest price. Even more obvious was that the money to pay for them came right from Xin’s pockets, despite having no say in the matter.

  Even with that gap, she had managed to snatch victories, both from the preliminaries that she and other no-names had been subjected to, and from young masters she had no right to win against.

  Her wits and desperation had earned her more than just those fights, but also the opportunity she was now receiving. Granny had recognized that she could keep winning, make her name known in all the city, and use that fame to make more money than ever.

  Desperation wouldn’t be enough for what was to come, so she would have to rely on her wits.

  They reached one of the many stands gathered there just for young Cultivators like her, selling “cheap” Techniques. She didn’t look for those with long, commanding names, but for niche, specific effects.

  She and Granny wanted to find something to help improve her looks even more, to make her cuter, a treat to the eyes of more than just commoners, but also of those accustomed to great, jade beauties.

  With a smile, her mind went to her peers in the tournament.

  Finding one that both Xin and the old woman liked was a struggle, and when they finally did, the haggling began. The world of Cultivation was one she had no experience in, but there, on the streets, around common people just like her, she was like a fish in water.

  …

  The Sun set, and Xie San, one of the three Elders of the Black Fist Sect, was still watching both servants and disciples carry goods and treasures from the various branches in the city to the building of the main one. Any other time, she’d like the image: with so many treasures, it would mean that she or another member was planning to surpass an important bottleneck in their Cultivation.

  This time, it meant her grandson had failed her, and now she had to pay the price for it. He was not only one of her few descendants to Awaken, but also too talented to not spend such a fortune on. When he’d come back from the Sacred Wave Sect, he’d be a powerhouse for sure, and her Xie family would rise with him.

  Even if he’d lost against a damned Chang, she still believed in him, in the fruits her care would bring through him.

  One disciple who had been stuck too long in the middle of the Qi Acclimation Stage tried to sneak a medicinal root into his pocket, so she quickly gave him a proper punishment.

  The caravan kept going, and she took a small reward for herself. A proper job was to be rewarded, and she was no slouch.

  A carriage different from the other came. It was fully black, decorated with golden insignia of her Sect, its wood coming from a spiritual tree instead of a mortal one, upping its price many times over its weight in gold. Huge, black stallions carried it. Purebred, like a Xie deserves.

  When its door opened, her grandson came out of it, healed to perfection thanks to the City Lord and his deep pockets.

  The boy had grave, guilty eyes. It stung her.

  For a few seconds, neither spoke.

  “How much did I disappoint you, Grandma?” Xie Mo asked with a broken voice. “Is it my fault that Shun.. that… Shun… is gone?”

  “I am disappointed, Mo. But it’s an easy fix. Don’t fail me next time, and all will be fine.”

  The boy nodded. A lot of pressure seemed to leave his shoulders at that.

  “As for Shun… no. I can’t blame you for that. He made his choices, and they were the wrong ones. He went against the word of a woman much, much more powerful than any of us has ever seen. It was her right to take his life, after he offered it to her like that. Indeed, he wouldn’t have been there if it weren’t for your failure, but again, his choice.”

  He slowly walked to her and opened his arms, ready for a hug. She quickly kicked away the hand resting on the ground before accepting it.

  “San. I am here for your… donation.” Elder Rong appeared, interrupting the moment.

  Her aura could be felt from outside the city, and now she sneaked here effortlessly. The great Secs are truly full of monsters. The old woman thought.

  She quickly broke off the hug and bowed. “Of course, Elder Sung Rong. I’ll show you the offers this lesser has prepared.”

  At that, Xie San guided the beautiful Elder to the deeper chambers of the palace, where the actual treasures waited; what was brought that day was mostly filler to sweeten the deal, far from the main offer, even in huge quantities.

  Her grandson stood there, baffled. It was an absurdity, to him, to see his Grandma San act like that. Not even the Sect Leader was treated with such reverence. He could only stare at the closing doors of the-

  “Welp, this was quicker than I thought. Lady Rong sure is not one for pleasantries.”

  Another aura had appeared behind him, strong and unknown. He turned in a hurry and created distance, expecting to see the intruder surrounded by guards. Instead, only a retainer was by his side, looking at the bald boy, baffled.

  “Yo.”

  Both the voice and aura came from a young man in the late Qi Acclimation. His droopy eyes and slack posture were relaxed, but the forearms jutting out of his sleeves were those of a strongman, the same as his thick neck, chest and shoulders pressing on his rich, light blue robes more than they should. More than the clothes fit-to-be-unfit, or the messy yet almost shiny black hair, it was the smile that caught his attention. It was confident, looked at everything with disdain, almost insulting any onlookers on its own. If it couldn’t make anyone angry on its own, the raised chin and hands in pockets completed the job.

  Xie Mo did not get angry often; if anything, he was one of the more peaceful Cultivators he had seen in his Sect. The blatant disrespect in his looks was easy to tolerate for him. What was harder to ignore was the way he looked at the other members of his Sect, the peers he had trained with, and especially, at the leaving back of his Grandma.

  She gave him his new life, took him in despite being a far, far off descendant with barely a drop of her blood, and found for him the best doctors; she trained him, gave him powerful Techniques so that he could one day overcome his illness. She was the only person to ever show him love.

  It didn’t matter that the boy was at the peak of the Qi Acclimation Stage, many times stronger than him.

  “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  “I’m just waiting for Lady Rong, don’t worry.” He waved him off. “Name’s Dong Juren. Bet you’re going to be a lot more courteous now, aren’t ya?”

  Xie Mo recognized the name. How could he not? It was one rarely spoken, but always with respect, envy or admiration. Dong Juren, first son of Dong Meng Slayer of the Black Ape, heir to the Scarlet Dawn Sect, the greatest of their region, thus future lord of thousands of cities greater than his. Out of all the Cultivators of all those cities, he was the strongest in their Stage. He had culled bandits and beasts that far surpassed him in both numbers and Cultivation, if the stories were all true. At the age of sixteen, he was close to breaking through the Second Awakening Stage, with a perfect foundation and unparalleled strength to boast.

  And he was the only one to have ever truly beaten Chang Jian.