Immortal Cultivator System

Chapter 74: Sorrow and Hatred ( 4 )

Barbarians. That was the word Jian would've used to describe the people before him. Fang had told him a bit about his group on the way, but he had failed to mention that modernity was a foreign word to them. Something Jian immediately noticed when he saw the gate to their camp, with a bear's severed head mounted on it.

They looked like a primitive version of the Zhao Warriors. Of course they had modern tools and lived somewhat like the people Jian was used to....But it was their personnalities that set him off. They were like wild animals. Whatever they wanted, they took and only the satisfaction of their desires mattered to them.

As soon as Jian stepped inside their camp at the outskirt of the capital, he was surprised by the sheer amount of people this group had, but also how well equipped they were. Truly they were like the Zhao Warriors, just even less modern if that was possible. 

He saw many of them fighting each other for food while others simply slashed their companions for things as harmless as looking at them the wrong way. But for some reasons, Jian didn't feel lost in such a place. It must have had something to do with the many monsters he had been around when he was a child.

"Well, I'll be damned. Had I known about this, I would've pushed you their way sooner. Those folks are already hitting my soft spot." Mara exclaimed as he entered the camp and started to run around, observing the savages like they were adorable children.

Now that Jian thought about it, even if Mara could be seen, they wouldn't have noticed him. Jian was clearly an outsider and yet barely anyone noticed him. The only one who noticed him was a child who looked to be only a bit younger than him. One could've thought a child wouldn't mix well with such people but this one was clearly made for this environment.

As the child approached Jian and Fang, one of the savages who had drank a little bit too much nearly fell on him. And before Jian's very eyes, the child moved out of the way in such a smooth manner, Jian knew instantly this child was trained in martial arts...And much more than him at that. But it didn't stop there. The child looked down at the savage with cold eyes and stepped on his face.

"Someone get this dumbass outta here ! " He yelled and a scantily clad woman nearby grabbed the man before dragging him at the back of the camp.

Fang started to step back a bit as the child approached, even going as far as positioning himself behind Jian...As if the 12 year old was supposed to protect him.

" Hmm ? Oh this one is interesting too !" Mara exclaimed, immediately losing interest in the woman he had been staring at. He stepped behind the child and walked with him, observing him with great interest.

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"He looks like a little badass if you ask me." Mara said.

'Mara...Could you please stop commenting everything ? I don't even understand some of the words you use.' Jian thought as he glared at Mara. However this got Fang in panic, thinking Jian was glaring at the child.

And apparently said child thought too, a smile gracing his lips as he stopped a mere meter away from Jian. They faced each other for the longest of time, Fang sweating behind Jian while some of his companions finally noticed what was going on.

"Fang....What is this guy you've brought us ? A new companion ? He sure as hell look like he could be part of us....That's better than the others you brought. I really like the cloak and cold eyes...Gives a mysterious feeling." The child said, making Jian chuckle.

"That it does....But who are you ? Fang didn't mention someone my age with such an aura." He said, giving Fang a side glare as the much larger man stealthily hit Jian with his leg.

"Haha....Well it might have slipped out of my min-"

"Or you deeply hoped I wouldn't be here." The child said, interrupting Fang as some of the savages laughed. A few of them had gotten closer to listen to the conversation, though one of them looked quite worried for Fang. It was a girl, probably a bit older than Jian and long silky blonde hair tied in two buns with some of it still running down her back. 

"Dear Li Yan here told me how scared you are of little me...I was quite surprised you know. I think you are the first one to admit it....You could've have told me directly though." The child said and immediately, some of the savages looked away when the child's gaze swept over them before locating the girl named Li Yan. It was the girl Jian spotted mere seconds ago, the one that looked worried for Fang. Said Fang who looked like a frozen deer at the moment, completely unable to utter a single word.

"Well, look at this ! I broke him. You, whoever you are, let's move to my tent. Maybe you could explain to me why Fang brought you to us." The child said before leaving for his tent. Jian followed him while Fang was still frozen and refused to move. Li Yan ran to him as soon as the child left, and Jian saw her hugging Fang right before entering the huge tent. 

Inside, he saw nothing of any relevance. The tent was well organized, nothing stood up and it even looked empty. Noticing Jian analyzing the interior of his tent, the child laughed softy before speaking.

"I am quite the clean freak. I always make sure my tent is well organized, with nothing in the wrong place. I also never liked to leave my things in random places, so everything I own is in the same place....A place only I can access." The child said, pointing to a tattoo on his arm. If Jian had to take a guess, he would say it was supposed to represent a vortex of some sort. It was simply a hole with arched lines swirling around it. 

Jian looked at it with child-like fascination and the boy in front of him gasped. 

"You don't know what this is ? Man....You must either live in a cave....Or you're from a place that don't use those....I don't even know if such place exist." The child said, confusing Jian. He had never heard about those tattoos though.

"You moron, don't you recognize the symbol ? You saw it when you were younger. I don't have access to all of your memories, but I remember you seeing such a symbol. Although it was on a scroll when you saw it." Mara explained while sitting on a chair he had gotten who knows where.

"Oh, a chest seal." Jian said, earning him a nod from the child.

"I guess you come from a place where they only use those on scrolls. Putting it on someone's body is a whole other task, one that require skills even I cannot comprehend...Then again the arts of seals were always too hard for me to dabble in. "

"Where I come from, people uses those seals, but I simply never took any interest in those. I was told a few years ago that many people prefer to stay away from those seals, as the risks of simply losing everything you put inside are too great." Jian explained, making the child sweatdrop.

"Man....I always said this, but this part of the continent is so weird. It's quite bizarre....It's the same continent....But the east and the west are just so different. Here in the west, it's like you were stuck a few centuries ago. Chest seals are dangerous, but only the weak versions. And weirdly enough, I haven't heard of many people here having upgraded versions. " 

"Oh I have heard about this !" Mara exclaimed, making a few veins pop on Jian's forehead. " I remember from the time you went to the merchant guild in the Li Zhang Kingdom ! A few merchants were talking about this. They had received some scrolls with advanced chest seals but no one wanted to buy them. Now that I think about.....It ain't the first time I heard about stuff like that getting rejected on this part of the continent. It's like soul pellets that are insanely expensive because they are so rare here...Or even advanced potions. I wonder why." Mara said, striking a thinking pose. 

"It's quite weird." Jian said to himself, but the child heard him.

"That it is. But it's to be expected. Anything that's not approved by those damn guys is always rejected by the people here. That's what happen when you give too much importance to people, they started taking over and making their own laws. Problem is, they are so greedy they just won't accept products that they haven't made themselves. And since the more...'Advanced' arts come from the other part of the continent, the Vishnu Institute has trouble producing advanced potions and the likes. I never knew why they can't get a foothold in the other part of the continent though." The boy said while caressing his chin.

' The Vishnu institute ? I might have to look into it later. I heard some knights talk about it on the way to the Li Zhang Kingdom....But it's weird...I never did hear much about the outside world from the Raja Sect. I guess that's a secular sect for ya. ' Jian thought while made an agreeing sound, too busy looking through the child's possessions to speak.

"Anyway, It seems I have once been babbling for too long. I am Silverfish by the way. You can call me Silver, or whatever you want, I don't care. And you are ?" Silver introduced himself. Jian took a few seconds before answering, wondering why the boy was called like that since he had ash grey hair, brown eyes and wore a dark red cardigan with a black shirt underneath it. He couldn't see anything on the child that could explain the name, but he wasn't one to ask such questions.

"I am Jian. Simply Jian." 

"No family ? You're even more perfect for our group...But I have a feeling you didn't come here to join us....What is it then ?" The child asked, walking towards the chair Mara was sitting on. The Unholy being quickly got off the chair as the child sat on it. And so Mara was left sitting on the ground.

"Well....I have a proposition for you...But first I need to ask, what is your connection to the Flies ?" Jian asked. He feared the answer as it would decide whether or not he could recruit them...Because he couldn't quite recruit Flies loyalists. However he got an answer that cemented his views on the organisation.

"You....I really hope you are not a member of that organisation, or else I might have to explain why us working for the Flies doesn't fucking mean we are your allies ! In fact, if you are with them....I'm gonna let you five seconds to give me a good reason as to why I shouldn't replace the bear's head at the entrance of the camp with your head !"