Chapter 18 Surprise!

Swoosh!

He stabbed his dagger to where the whisper came from but there was no contact.

Was it my imagination?

The lamp was still on but he could not see anyone.

“Pffft”

A snicker sounded out.

“Who’s there?”

He stood up and raised his guard while furrowing his brows.

“Zehahaha,”

A loud laughter rang but he could not pinpoint where it came from, the space in front of the door distorted and Old man Dan came out. He eyes were teary due to laughing so hard.

Veins popped out of Eznho’s head and his hand was trembling. He could not control his anger and throw out the dagger towards the old man.

Swoosh!

But before it could reach him, it stopped mid-air a foot from the old man’s face.

“Why so serious sissy? What’s with the hostility?”

Old man Dan teased and grabbed the dagger.

“What kind of shitty dagger is this? How could you kill somebody with this cheap stuff?”

He scrutinized the dagger and lost interest then casually throw it back to Eznho. It was a casual throw but it was too fast for Eznho, it was even faster than the arrow that nearly killed him.

The hell?

Eznho was shocked but forced himself to dodge, he poured heavenly energy on his feet and leaped on top of his bed.

­Thud!

Half of the dagger’s blade sunk into the wooden wall. Eznho’s heart was beating fast and saw that the right side of his upper garment had a been cut.

He coldly stared at the old man,

“What are you doing?”

“Whoa, chill sissy, Are you that eager to kill again? I thought you would become better at fighting now that you have killed somebody.”

The old man calmly answered and raised both his palms facing forward. He then sat on a nearby chair. Listening to the old man’s words, memories came rushing to Eznho which made him uncomfortable.

“How did you know?”

He asked then pulled the dagger out from the wall.

“I can smell somebody’s blood on you,”

Old man Dan answered nonchalantly while Eznho just stood there in silence.

“I told you before if you really want to pursue cultivation, you’re gonna have to bath in your enemies blood. If I were you, forget about it and move on, you survived and that’s what matters. Would you rather be the one dead? Tsk, what a sissy, if you can’t handle the killings I suggest you stop early on and live a normal life.”

The old man lectured Eznho and brought out a clay jar, half a meter tall. On top of the cover was a small brown leather pouch the size of a palm.

“I’m running out of time so I’ll just leave the jar and the pouch here. You can only open the pouch once you enter the Halo realm. The jar contains something that can aid you in your blood and marrow cleansing. You can open it after dropping a bit of blood on top of the cover. Let me remind you, once you decide to open the jar, you will owe me a favor.”

“I advise you one last time, if you cannot withstand the shock of killing your enemy, you better quit now. How much more if you have to kill someone you know,”

The old suddenly turned sentimental after remembering something.

“Anyways the decision is yours, see you around sissy, don’t die early.”

The old man talked fast and did not even give Eznho a chance to talk back then disappeared. He had to leave now before other experts came and start investigating. There were still remaining ingredients he had to find.

Old man Dan appeared and floated above Sin city.

“I hope you survive this predicament you got involved in,”

As much as he wanted to help, he could not for now. His cultivation is unstable and has to refine the pill as soon as possible. He could only hope that the boy would survive after being indirectly involved in this mess.

.....

Eznho stood there silently after the old man left, it was like a bee came buzzing in and suddenly left. He walked towards the jar and picked up the pouch, the opening was knotted and he could not open it no matter how he tried. Giving up on the pouch, he turned his attention to the jar. It looked normal, like those jars that were sold in the market.

Gripping the cover, he used his full force but could not open it. Due to his frustration, he even tried to break it but it was like the hardest metal and could not even leave a dent on it. Gaining nothing on his investigation, he gave up and left the two items in a corner but the reminder of the old man that he will owe him once he opened the jar replayed on his mind.

.....

After breakfast, he went to the cemetery and paid a visit to his mother’s grave. The cemetery was covered in snow which added drama to the scene. After cleaning the tomb and the area around it, he kowtowed three times.

“I’m here mother, sorry for not visiting you for a long time.”

He put flowers and burned incense then meditated and performed the Heaven-Seizing breathing technique while pondering and thinking about what the old man said. He admits he was scared but at the same time there a subtle feeling of satisfaction after killing and surviving a death match. A conflict arose in his heart, will he be able to continue killing?

After thinking about it, if he really wanted to protect the ones he cared about he had to at least have sufficient power to do so. He decided that he would continue but would only kill the ones who deserve it.

.....

He continued to train in Tiger Chasing the Wind. By training to the limit, he improved rapidly, his muscles and bones were getting stronger and his energy control was getting better and better. Remembering the feeling of adrenaline during a fight, he started to simulate fight scenarios inside his mind and practiced using the dagger as his weapon.

Two days passed by, Eznho was seated in a lotus position naked beside a creek, sweat and black inky fluid flowed out of his skin pores. He was in great pain, this was the last purification of his bones and muscles. Gritting his teeth while grimacing, he continued to circulate his energy while chanting the mantra.

Another hour passed and finally, a large amount of black inky fluid came out and warm feeling entered his body. Even though he was so exhausted and tired, the feeling of heavenly energy nourishing his flesh and bones was refreshing and intoxicating. He dragged himself up and plunged into the small pool of water.

Splash!

.....

The next day, he decided to go to the bank and settle his account. He got dressed up, tidied his hair and covered himself in a fur cloak. The bank was located in the northern district where all the rich people live.

Commoners cannot easily enter the district, there was a wall covering it and two gates were made for people to pass. If you want the best goods, you can find it there as long as you can enter. Most of the luxury items and establishments were found inside that district.

After walking for a while, he reached the wall which was ten meters tall. He approached the gate and was stopped by the guards.

“Halt! What’s your purpose in entering the northern district?”

One of the guards stood in front of Eznho.

“Bank,” Eznho replied blandly and showed them the brown card.

“Ah?” The guard was surprised.

A bank card, even if he worked his whole life, it was near impossible for him to acquire one. The lowest card has a minimum amount of one thousand gold coins and even if you had a thousand coins, a card would not necessarily be issued.

He had his suspicions because it was a kid holding it and he had never seen him before. But his intuition says not to mess with him, who knows where this kid came from and might be the son of a wealthy merchant or some big family with connections.

“Any problem?”

Eznho was getting impatient due to the guard's silence.

“Nothing, you may enter just make sure not to trespass on private properties or you will get arrested. Follow the main street and you will see the bank a kilometer after.”

The guard came back to his senses, stepped aside and gave a friendly reminder.

Eznho just nodded and proceeded inside. Once he entered, it was like he was in a different place and not inside Sin city. The road was filled with snow but it was obvious that it was well maintained. City guards constantly patrolled and carriages with grand designs passed to and fro. Establishments were designed extravagantly that sold precious and rare materials.

.....

After sightseeing and walking for half an hour, he reached the bank. The establishment was four-stories tall and one of the highest infrastructure in the area. Two large red columns stood in front with golden dragons sculpted coiling around them. A large signboard with golden letters hung above a rectangular door with a golden tree design.

‘Merchant Bank’

Two tall guards in full golden armor stood on each side.He went in front of the door and the guard spoke without moving.

“Proof of business transaction,”

Eznho was puzzled then showed his bank card. After showing it, the door automatically opened then he entered.

A big hall appeared in front of him with high ceiling and luxurious chandelier, only a handful of people were inside. Sculptures were scattered and paintings hung on the wall. Three tellers were in a counter talking with costumers while other people sat down in chairs drinking tea. Only one guard in full golden armor was inside guarding the stairs going up.

He was a bit nervous but did not show it on his face, this was his first time entering an establishment such as this. There were other banks in the city but this was the biggest and most secure run by the alliance of merchant groups.

A female bank employee noticed him and then approached. She was an average beauty and wore a tight fitting dress showing her curves.

“Good morning, young sir, how may I help you?”

Eznho composed himself and tried to act like it was not his first time.

“Ahem, I am here to open my bank card.”

He answered politely.

“Young sir, you have to wait for your turn. May I take off your cloak?”

The woman was not surprised, he had seen many rich kids do this. But she was surprised when the boy took off his cloak and he only wore simple clothing. Still, she did not think too much about it and put the cloak in a wardrobe.

“This way young sir,”

She gestured and offered a couch for Eznho to sit on while waiting for his turn.

“Would you like a cup of tea, young sir?”

“No, but thanks for the offer,” Eznho politely declined.

.....

The costumer in the counter was already finalizing her transaction with one of the tellers. Eznho was told by the attendant to get ready so he stood up and at the same time the door opened.

A tall man in fur cloak came inside and was greeted by an attendant, he removed his cloak and showed his leather armor. He was a city guard, his name was Hans and a loyal subordinate to the city lord.

Hans looked around and a boy in plain clothing who was standing caught his attention, he could only see the side of his face. Narrowing his eyes, he was trying to remember where he had seen his face. Then an incident four years ago popped up in his my mind.

“Isn’t that?” A sneer formed in his mouth while he remembered the scene where a man was kneeling in front of him while begging.

He mused to himself, basing on his calculation it was not yet time for the boy to come back.

Eznho started to walk towards the counter when he heard someone shout from his back.

“Wait!” The voice echoed across the hall that caught everybody’s attention.

They saw who shouted and did not say anything, they were familiar with the man. He was a subordinate of the city lord and once in a while, he comes into the bank to do business transactions on behalf of the city lord. The people inside did not have a good impression on him, all they heard about this guard was him doing dubious things.

Eznho ignored the shout and continued walking, there were other people inside so it was vague who the shout was intended for.

Seeing that he was ignored, Hans felt humiliated and became angry then shouted again,

“Are you deaf? I said wait, you punk!”

Eznho stopped walking, furrowed his brow and turned around. He did not know why the newcomer would make trouble for him. When the man entered, he actually saw him in the corner of his eye but did not particularly care as he had something to do.

Upon turning around and saw the man’s face clearly, his eyes immediately turned cold and a hint of killing intent permeated but immediately disappeared. To think that not even a week had passed since he got back and he encountered one of the people he hated the most and even thought of killing.