"L-Levis Ato. What did you give that guard? Can you help the village chief?”

“Slow down, I am the one to ask the questions here, and to answer you briefly, yes, I can help your village chief. Now, what I want to know, is how a small child, had gone out in the middle of the battle, passing the villagers and my guards, in the lines of the bandits unnoticed, and then killing a bandit too.!?”

But as soon as the questions, from the young man in front of him, shot at him. Forewarnings emerged from his eyes, as he had no idea how to even articulate himself.

[Kid, stay calm! The moment has arisen, it is time for you to finely interact with other cultivators. As for now just repeat and do what I am about to say. —]

But as soon as the voice spoke to him, the panic that was beginning to take him vanished, as he took a breath and looked into the eyes of the young captain, surprising both him and the old man from the sudden change of attitude.

[He stabbed and killed my grandma, I am faster and stronger so I killed him.]

[Fuck! Damit! Not to me, to them!]

“He stabbed and killed my grandma, I am faster and stronger so I killed him.”

But as the long stare continued, the mood changed, as after a brief pause, words finely came out of his mouth, but as he was still nervous, his words came out in a strange manner as he was trying to sound as tough as possible, making for a strange scene to the two men looking at the child. Nevertheless, the words spoken immediately piqued their interest, as the young looked at the old next to him.

“Ahem, excuse me, stay still and breathe normally for some time.”

[Kid, make some circulatory rotations with the energy from your fake dantian.]

Just as the voice instructed him to use the energy of his fake dantian, the old man next to the captain moved next to him while placing his hand under his heart, with closed eyes as though inspecting something.

At the same time, little Levis was feeling an unknown and different kind of energy and consciousness, slowly moving closer to his dantian, as after some time the energy closed in and enveloped the small ethereal ball of energy as it rebounded the foreign one.

Exactly at the same moment, the old man opened his eyes as he retracted his consciousness and energy, taking his hand off the little boy's heart as he turned to the young man, with widened eyes in amazement.

“Rank 1 medium.”

“Rank 1 medium? Are you sure? Not low?”

“No, medium.”

But he was not alone, as even the young man was surprised at the somewhat unforeseen situation.

“Kid,---Levis, how old are you?”

“Thirteen.”

“Thirteen!?— huuuu.”

"Sigh."

However, at the reveal of his age, both of them sighed, as in what seemed to be relief and pity.

“So you look younger than your real age, for a second I thought we might have encountered a natural cultivation genius.”

“Hahaha, that would be too much even for my old heart, still, rank 1 and medium at your age is still an amazing feat.”

As he said that, the old man turned to the young man as though implying something.

“Levis.--- When did you start cultivating? Who is your teacher?”

[Kid! Act dumbly, you don’t know anything of sorts, say and do only what I am about to tell you.---]

“Teacher!?”

But, as a perplexed and lost expression, appeared on his tilted to the side head, the duo immediately understand to their astonishment that the boy in front of them had become a cultivator without the assistance or training by anyone, a real case of a natural cultivator.

[ [What the hell is this, can he be a bit more natural and what's worse the two idiots actually bought that.] ]

[ [HAAHHA! A natural lier. Or he just makes people not suspect him. Hahahha.] ]

“Since when did you feel that you were stronger and faster?

“About that,---I think,— Yes about half a year ago.”

But as more information came out of Levis, the two men looked at one another as the old began to talk as though the boy was not even there.

“Thirteen years old, six months ago, by accident I assume, no teacher or master, and rank 1 medium in that time alone. It does sound exceptionally good at first, but if we are to train him his talent in cultivation might be even above the children of big families.”

“He is worth grooming to become a cultivator. Now, Levis, what happened when you—.”

However just as the captain was trying to ask the boy further questions, Adrian came out of the tent, making little Levis turn around and dismissing Rowen, as his eyelid twitched at the sudden change of focus by the boy.

“How is it? Is village chief alright?”

“---Yes, I have treated him with the medicine by the captain, his condition is and it will improve as time passes. You can go and check for yourself—.”

But just as he was about to end his words, the figure of the boy strode around him, entering inside the tent, without looking or letting some words to the three men left outside.

As the perplexed and irritated Adrian at the boy's behavior turned his head towards the captain, all he could see was the young man glaring at him, making him jump in fright at the sudden change of behavior of his superior.

“C-C-Captain!?”

“Hmpf,---anyway we can talk with him later. At the moment we need to see to the aftermath of the battle. Adrian, see to the bodies of the bandits, the horses they came with, and of the state of the guards and the villagers that had fought.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“After that, escort Levis to me.”

As the orders came one after another, Adrian presented back the squarish box to his captain, as the latter was still continuing his dialogue, while he immediately turned around once receiving the box back, leaving the lone Adrian wandering what his captain was expecting from the boy.

“A moment! I forgot to give you something, I think this is yours.”

As he was speaking, he took a small dagger from his lower back and presented it to the frowning Rowen.

“What!? Is that dagger, the one from the entrance of my tent?”

“I was thinking so, I took it from the boy. It is the weapon that he used to kill the bandit.”

“He—, hmmm, never mind I’ll deal with this later.”

But after going thru anger and irritation, Rowen's emotions were drained as he was at a loss, as to what to say to the stollen dagger, as it was of no importance other than a decorative object in his dull tent.

“Let’s go, it is better if we look personally at the bandits. Now that I think about it, I am founding it strange, that the one that I stab, lived thru such a strike.”

“It is strange indeed.”

But while the two of them were going to see the two wounded bandits, the boy that had entered the tent was now facing the several people in front of him.

As he had entered in a rush, the attention of all those present gathered on him.

The first to enter his vision was the tall and big village Hunter with his many scars on his arms, as well as aunty Healer, the wife of the village chief and a young looking man that was approximately eighteen years old, and the bedridden village Chief.

“Levis! Calm down, there is no need to run, the stubborn and the mad are always tough to kill, so this bastard won’t die so eas—ahh.”

But before the Hunter could finish his piece a strong pain came from his leg, but as he look down he found himself being kicked by the Healer as she was glaring at him.

“Uncle Hunter! Aunty Healer.”

“You mad brat, I heard what happen, you made such idiotic act, and got this stubborn fool into trouble, I will see to educate you after this.”

However, as he turned his gaze from the two and looked in the direction of the other three he could see the young-looking man at him with a confused and uncertain expression as there was anger and doubt in his eyes.

Nonetheless, the wife of the chief was the one whose expression was the most certain as anger was written all over her, from her face to her posture and the glare she was given.

“A-Aunty? Big brother!?”

“What “Aunty” I don’t know any child such as you, so don’t call me “Aunty”. I have left you alone with the other children, for a few moments and you disappear, next thing I know my husband is wounded, from having to SAVE YOU FROM THE BANDITS! CARE TO EXPLAIN, WHAT WERE YOU DOING OUTSIDE?

“Aunty, I-I-I—."

“Slap!-Boom!”

But before little Levis could find his words to begin his made-up explanation, the loud sound of a slap and a boom came from the bedridden village Chief, as everyone moved their eyes on him, after the commotion caused. But to everyone's surprise, his face was that of calmness and tranquility as there was no anger that everyone had imagined.

“Boy, there is nothing to explain. When a man has debts to pay, he must pay, in that regard, you are the bigger man between us two, this wound is a small thing to pay for my part. As for this woman, she is more worried for you than she is for the dying me, so don’t need to be scared or afraid even if you say nothing. I understand and you don't need to explain anything, when a man has to regain himself, he needs not to give explanations, but to have the resolve of standing by his decision, even if no one understands, after all, you are the grandson of Uncle Ato.”

Though as the pale man was speaking and looking at the small boy, the usual cold and stern look in his eyes disappeared, as to him the young orphan from thirteen years ago had become the child of the village, but to him that had always intended to take him as his own, but being always refused by the staunch old Ato who never let the boy to anyone, giving his family name to the little boy who had only one name, Levis.

As he made the gesture for the boy to approach him, he used his left hand to ruffle his hair as he gave little Levis a grin and a show of toughness.

“The ointment that the vice-captain had given me, is mending my wound better than I could imagine, so there is no need to worry about me, though you might try and think how to thank the vice-captain for the both of us. Now go, I’ll sleep while you think of something.”

"Hmpf."

“Yes, Yes, I’ll do that.

As the last words of the chief came out, and made little Levis say good-bys to everyone, before running out of the tent, to his endeavor.

“Sigh---. He is not the same child from a week ago, I should have understood it when he had arrived back. This is my fault for not watching him closer— "cough” "cough.”

“Father!”

“You.”

But as he was responding to his wife's snort at his behavior to the boy, intense coughing took the chief as his face paled even more.

“I told you to sit on your front, that's what you get for forcing yourself.”

However not long after he was forced to sit front first so as to not exert any pressure on his back wound.

“I’ll look after the village in the meantime, you recover as soon as possible.”

“Alright, if there is something important or don’t know what to do come to me or send someone, don’t forget about me.”

“Yes, yes, yes I’ll come or send someone or you might rise up from worry.”

As the Hunter and village Chief were going back and forth between them as two friends that had no trust between them. Levis was outside of the tent, looking at the active villagers and guards as the aftermath of the battle seemed even busier.

[What are they all doing? It doesn’t matter. How can we thank the vice-captain? Just so you know, I don’t have anything!]

[So you finely come to me. I guess it was to be aspected. And isn’t the captain that you— no need, that little boy needs more than just a little gift, as for that little vice-captain, with your prowess right now it might be hard, but in a day or two it will be much more doable—.]

[And can you help village Chief too?]

[Kid, slow down. It is not like I will help. I will use this situation to guide you, on how to use your energy, so don’t go thinking I'll do anything more, after all, I'm just a voice in your head what can I do.]

[Yes, that's right.]

[ [He actually bought that, gullible as ever, my disciple.] ]

[ [How can he outsmart me.] ]

[Now let's go back to your tent and continue with the absorption of energy, we still have a long way before you can become the big man that you want to be.]

[Alright.]